


A Savior Too Late

by EndlessPaine



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Angst, Drama, F/F, Femslash, Mystery, Original Character(s), Romance, Swan-Mills Family, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-07
Updated: 2015-05-29
Packaged: 2018-03-10 20:58:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 21
Words: 60,117
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3303254
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EndlessPaine/pseuds/EndlessPaine
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>SwanQueen. When an unknown woman falls from the sky over Storybrooke with the intent to kill, how does The Savior intend to stop her? How will everyone react when they find out her true identity as she leads them on an unexpected adventure through time full of surprises, including one devastating detail. And how does the woman tie into Emma and Regina falling for one another?  Rated for explicit sexual content, language, and violence.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! I have recently become obsessed with OUAT, especially with SwanQueen, and this is also my first attempt at a Once fic after much deliberation. I hope everyone enjoys it. Please, let me know what you all think! Thanks!

Fate has a strange way of changing things: past, present, and future.  It also has a way of changing people, for better or for worse.  At least, that’s what Regina thought as she gazed at her reflection in one of the many mirrors in her manor.  The woman she began to have an inkling of respect for had ruined things for her, just as her predecessor had back in the Enchanted Forest.  The former Queen glared at the thought before closing her eyes and taking a deep breath in.  She exhaled with a sigh.  In her heart, she knew she shouldn’t think such things.  Those thoughts only led back down a road she had traveled so many times now that the trail should be completely flat and barren.  She had won a battle in the war that raged inside her mind on a daily basis, her strongest general in that war being her son, Henry.

A knock on the door broke Regina away from the battlefield of her mind.  She turned on a heel and clicked down the stairs of her foyer.  She opened the door to the Sheriff.  Speak of the devil. 

“Miss Swan,” Regina started in a dark tone, but she was cut off by Emma’s voice.  How could the blonde dare to interrupt the Queen, her eyes said.

“Regina, I just wanted to apologize again, for ummm,” Emma began to say, but rolled her eyes and placed her hands in her back pockets as she tried to find the words.  “I’m not sorry for saving Marian, but,” she trailed off.

“You’re sorry for the unforeseen consequences of your actions,” Regina finished for the Sheriff.  Silence befell the two women.  The dark haired woman stared down The Savior as she crossed her arms over her chest.

Emma felt strangely uncomfortable under the gaze of the older woman.  “Uh, yeah,” she replied as she averted her gaze down to look at the hose-covered legs and heels of the once Evil Queen.

The next words took every ounce of strength for Regina to formulate.  “Apology accepted,” she said with a huff.   These idiots had begun to grow on her.

The blonde looked up suddenly as those words were uttered to see that Regina’s expression had softened.  “Really?” she questioned in surprise and then saw the other woman’s face turn to an expression of offense.  “S-sorry, I just wasn’t expecting to get off that easily.”  Why was she suddenly so uneasy around Regina?  She had destroyed the woman’s happy ending, of course.  Emma had actually wanted to see her happy for once.

“I know,” Regina’s dark tone returned, “Now, is there anything else you wish to bother me with?”

Emma suddenly remembered that there was, in fact, another reason she had brought herself to the Mills’ residence. “Oh, yeah!” she exclaimed, “Henry told me to ask you if you would like to come to Granny’s to have lunch with me-…er, us.”  She had no idea why the inquiry had come out like that.

The slip up merely rolled off Regina’s shoulders, thinking the woman before her had just not thought before she spoke like most people in this cursed town.  “Could you not have just called me rather than showing up to my residence?” Regina asked.

Red leather covered shoulders shrugged.  “I felt I should apologize in person,” she answered.

“Very well, Miss Swan,” Regina started, “But only because my son asked.”

* * *

It was a quiet normal day in Storybrooke, as normal as the small fairy tale town could get, of course.  Business was as usual at Granny’s Diner with the usual customers and their everyday orders.

The two women and the son they shared sat at a booth, enjoying their lunch.  Emma and Regina sat opposite of each other, with Henry seated next to Regina.  He had said something that had made the both of them laugh at the same time, which was a rare occasion to say the least.

A rough rumble beneath everyone’s feet cut short the laughter as well as everyone else’s meals.  What followed next caused gasps from everyone within the diner and stopped anyone on the sidewalk.  The bright shining sun seemed to disappear from existence and blanketed the entire land in darkness. 

Emma groaned and slipped out of the booth.  “What now?” she asked the universe with a hint of annoyance in her voice.

Regina rose to her feet as well and turned to Henry, who was about to get up.  “Stay right here, Honey,” she ordered him.  She and the Sheriff made their way out the door of the diner.

Once outside, they both looked up to the sky.  It had been a clear day, so if the sun had left, why could they not see the stars clearly? It was as if a barrier was covering the sky, obscuring the possibility of seeing anything. 

Henry had not listened to his adoptive mother and opened the door of the diner to peek out just as a blinding white light appeared straight down from the blackness.  It was followed by a deafening boom that rocked the entire town again.  It was so loud that its energy shattered almost every window in every building and knocked people down and kicked up a strong wind.

“What the hell?!” Emma shouted as she barely maintained her balance, shielding her eyes from the light.

“Mom!” the boy yelled towards both women as the blast knocked him back.

“Henry!” Regina almost screamed as she rushed towards the door only to be thrown to the ground by the force of the energy.

Almost as suddenly as the light had appeared, it disappeared and daylight shone again as if nothing strange had happened at all.

Emma stepped towards the downed woman and held her hand out.  Regina took the hand reluctantly and the blonde pulled her to her feet.  The blonde didn’t let go of the other magic wielder’s hand as soon as she should have.  Instead, Regina pulled her hand away in a tug. 

The royal brushed off her black skirt and straightened it out.  Her eyes lifted to see people staring at her as if she had done something wrong.  _Great, this again_ , she thought to herself.  She had seemingly become the scapegoat now whenever anything went wrong in the town.

“What the hell was that?” Emma asked her, shock in her voice.

“If what you’re really asking is did I do this, then your answer is no,” Regina answered, obviously offended by the assuming glances she received from the townspeople.  She growled beneath her breath and pushed through the entrance of the diner to help her son to his feet.  “Are you ok, Sweetie?” she asked the boy in a soft voice.  He gave a worried, but assuring nod.

“No, I didn’t mean,” Emma began as she followed Regina, “I just meant to ask if you had any idea what that was.”  She had truly not ever believed Regina was behind the strange event.

“Yeah, that was insane,” Henry added in, “It sounded like what my science book calls a sonic boom, but those usually don’t cause damage.”

“To answer your question, no, I haven’t the slightest idea,” the sorceress replied while she returned to their booth in order to retrieve her purse.

A ringtone erupted from Emma’s phone and she shouldn’t have been surprised. She answered with, “Sheriff.”

David’s voice answered on the other end, “I’m sure you saw that.  We need to meet up and figure out exactly what just happened.”

“Agreed,” Emma answered her father shortly.

“Where are you?” he asked.

“I’m at Granny’s with Henry and Regina.”

“Regina,” he said hesitantly, “You think it could be-.”  His words were cut short by his daughter.

“No, David, it’s not,” she answered somewhat irritated that he would even insinuate that Regina would do such a thing.  She could understand though, seeing as how she indirectly tore Robin away from Regina by bringing Marian back.  In the past, it would be understandable to assume that the woman had concocted some evil plan for revenge, but not now.  Emma wholeheartedly believed that Regina had redeemed herself and had come too far to slip up now.  She found herself gazing at the beauty before her as she thought this.  She was glad her father’s voice broke her from her thoughts because for some reason, she felt like she was about to start undressing the older woman with her eyes.

“Alright,” he accepted her answer.  He knew his daughter’s superpower and if she believed the once evil sorceress wasn’t behind this strange event, it was good enough for him.  “Let’s meet at home.  Bring Regina.  Perhaps she may have some insight.  Magic is obviously at play here.”

“Will do,” she answered, “See you soon.”  Emma ended the call with her father and turned to see Regina with the look of fear in her eyes.  She stepped forward and placed a hand on the woman’s shoulder, the unexpected physical contact causing Regina to flinch.

Regina met Emma’s eyes as she turned towards her.  “You don’t feel that?” she questioned.

“Feel what?” the blonde answered with a question, a confused look on her face.  “Are you ok?”

“Of course you don’t,” Regina said with annoyance, “Whatever, whoever caused what just happened has a very large amount of magical power.”

“Just how powerful are we talking?” Emma asked.

“Unimaginable,” Regina replied, but the look she received said that the other woman wasn’t following.  “Let’s put it this way.  Even people who wield magic as powerful as Mr. Gold or I are usually not able to be sensed unless they are about ten feet away.  Whoever or whatever this is, I can feel their power and they are at least a mile or more away.  I can feel exactly where they are.”

“Looks like we’re changing the meeting place then,” Emma said as she grabbed her phone again and swiped her thumb across the glass screen.

Regina reached forward and put a hand out to stop Emma.  “What do you think you’re doing, Sheriff Swan?”

The blonde looked confused once again.  “Uh, David wants us to meet up with him at our place, but if you know exactly where we can find the cause of this event, then we should just head that way.”

“Are you out of your mind?” Regina asked with a harsh tone, “Did you not hear a single thing I just said?  This being has unimaginable power.  Are we to just venture into the forest blindly?”

“So they’re in the woods,” Emma assumed and began typing a text to her father.  “Ok, Henry, I want you to stay here with Granny and Ruby.  We’re gonna go check this thing out.”

“But I want to go with you,” he replied, curiosity dripping from him.

“Absolutely not,” Regina broke in, “Miss Swan, we are not charging into this head first.”  The dark sorceress was not normally worried about such situations.  She was usually very confident in herself, but something felt very off at the moment. For some reason, she didn’t feel right with the fact that the birth mother of her son could be put into a highly dangerous situation.

Emma cocked an eyebrow and smirked at the older woman.  “I think both our powers combined can handle it.  Scared, Regina?”

That did it.  Regina frowned for her confidence even being questioned.  “Not in the least bit, Miss Swan.”

* * *

She blinked in and out of consciousness as she made her descent from the sky, undoubtedly from her fear of heights and falling.  However, she knew if she didn’t get a grip on herself, she would be dead in a matter of seconds and her mission would all be for nothing.  She focused with everything she had in her and opened her eyes to see the tree tops coming towards her rather quickly.  She held out two leather-gloved hands and shot out a blast right before she smashed into the first branch.  The second branch, as well as the others, she was not lucky enough to avoid.  Thankfully, she was able to use her power to break her fall just enough to only bounce on and off the branches of a tree and hit the ground with a sickening crack of her left forearm. 

She groaned into the damp dirt of the ground and mistakenly tried to use her newly broken arm to push herself up.  The pain that radiated from the middle of her forearm made her nauseous and angry at the same time.  Unintentionally, a fireball erupted from her good hand because her anger rose due to the pain.  With a wave of her hand, she snuffed out the flames and rolled over onto her back, cringing at her disfigured arm. 

The woman was about 5’9” and had a slender, yet toned frame and lightly tanned skin.  Black eyeliner lightly rounded her greenish-blue eyes, and a purplish color covered her lips.  Her hair, which fell midway down her back, was a dark brown, almost black, with the exception of a golden blonde streak that framed the left side of her softly squared jaw.  The woman, who appeared to be about 30 years of age, wore tight fitting dark blue jeans and a black tank top.  Her feet were clad in black leather combat boots.

She grabbed her broken arm and deeply inhaled before cracking her bones back into place.  She cried out in pain causing a soft pulse of her power to rustle the leaves in the forest.

“Son of a bitch,” she groaned before swiping her hand, which was faintly glowing blue, over the injury. This healed the bones almost instantly.  She breathed a sigh of relief as she rose to her feet and brushed the dirt off of herself.  She gripped a pendant around her neck and gave a determined look.  _Time to kill a thief_ , she thought to herself as she scouted out the best route into town.  
 ****


	2. Chapter 2

Three individuals trekked through the brush of the forest intending to find the cause of the event that had shattered every window in Storybrooke.  David led Regina and Emma while taking directions from the sorceress.  Emma followed behind the two with her hand resting on the butt of her pistol in the same way David had his on the hilt of his sword. 

Beforehand, Mary Margaret had driven David to the edge of the forest to meet with Emma and Regina.  She had agreed with Regina that it was a foolish idea to go in without a plan, but they were both shot down by the two Sheriffs.  In surrender, Snow had rolled her eyes and kissed her husband, wishing them luck before she drove back with her newborn in tow.

 The crew stopped as they came upon an area of dirt that appeared to be disturbed.  Charming stepped closer for further investigation.

Emma looked up into the tree branches near the kicked up dirt.  She noticed that the large tree had quite a few snapped branches leading all the way from the top to the bottom.  “Hey,” she grabbed the other two’s attention, pointing up, “It looks like someone had a rough landing.”

“As if they fell from the sky,” Regina added.  She had a bad feeling about whatever this could have meant.

David examined the branches closely, trying to think of an idea.  He turned to the two women and asked, “Is there a possibility that the light we saw could have been some sort of portal?”

Regina dropped her arms, which had been crossed, to her sides and faked a shocked expression.  “I believe nothing as strange as that has ever happened before in this town,” she mocked him and rolled her eyes.  The statement was received with a glare from Snow White’s husband.

“Ok, you two,” Emma chided, “We don’t have time for this.”

“You’re right,” Regina replied and then broke the staring match with David by turning to the right.  “They went this way,” she said as she walked off, now taking the lead.  Emma followed closely behind as David took up the last place position.

The blonde had insisted within her mind that she should stay behind Regina, but for the time being she was too dense to realize why or that she had been taking a moment here or there to stare at the ass covered by the older woman’s black skirt.  It amazed her how Regina managed to navigate through the woods in high heels.  She had a hard time not tripping over tree roots while running through the forest in normal footwear.

Unbeknownst to Emma, Regina could feel the blonde’s eyes burning into her from behind.  She wanted so badly to make some sort of a snarky comment, but decided now was not the time, nor the place.  If she were truly honest with herself, she would admit that she actually enjoyed the eyes on her body.  A sudden rush of emotion struck the dark haired woman and she came to abrupt halt.

Emma, who was not really paying attention to anything except Regina’s legs, suddenly bumped into the woman.  “Oof!” she let out as her body came into full contact with Regina’s.  She immediately took a step back and prepared herself for any and all repercussions, but she was met with none.  Her eyes blinked a couple of times before she asked, “What’s wrong?”

Normally, Regina would have been annoyed to come into bodily contact with The Savior, but for some reason she enjoyed the warmth from the other woman’s body.  “They’ve gone to Robin’s camp,” she said, obviously distracted.

* * *

The unnamed woman walked cautiously down the path and slowed her pace when the scent of burning wood met her nose.  _A fire_ , she thought.  That meant someone was nearby.  She closed her eyes and focused on the sounds of her surroundings.  She could hear the crackling of a fire in a pit and determined from which direction it was coming.  When her eyes opened, the woman followed another path towards the noise. 

After wandering the path for a few minutes, she saw people come into her view as well as green tents and the fire.  Her eyes narrowed and she used her magic to flash into the branch of a tree that was closer to this camp.  She peered down and saw that it was comprised of mostly men wielding bows and crossbows.  _I’ve found your camp, thief, now where are you?_ She examined each man’s face as much as she could from being up so high.  She grunted quietly when she saw a man exit a tent with a dark skinned woman in a pinkish dress.  _Found you_.

She held out her right hand and a sword with a golden hilt appeared out of thin air.  Once again, she used her magic to flash from her position.  She suddenly appeared from a cloud of blue smoke in front of the thieves’ leader.

Robin had been smiling at Marian as they walked from the tent and came to a screeching halt as the woman whose face he had not recognized appeared from nowhere.  He immediately sensed danger and his hands quickly reached for the crossbow strapped to his back; however, his actions were interrupted as an invisible force wrapped around his neck and lifted his feet from the ground causing him to gasp for air.

Marian suddenly lunged for the unknown woman while shouting, “Stop!  Let him go!” 

The magic wielder allowed the woman to charge her and then elbowed Marian, effectively knocking her unconscious.  She glanced around to see that all the Merry Men had stopped what they were doing and had weapons pointed at her.  A chuckle escaped her lips and she sent out a powerful pulse of energy from her body.  The blast hit all the men, knocking them into tents and trees. 

“Finally,” the woman spoke with a hint of darkness in her voice, “I can finally make things right.”

“What are you talking about?!” Robin managed to get out.

“It’s time for you to die,” she answered.

“Why?” he asked, struggling to breathe, “Who are you?”  He tried to grasp at whatever was around his neck, but could feel nothing except his airway closing.

“Avalon,” she replied, “Ava for short.  However, my name will not matter to you in a moment.”  She glared with pure hatred towards the man as she levitated him closer to her.  The hand grasping her sword reared back for a fatal blow.

“Daddy?” the voice of a child said from a tent.

Ava glanced towards a tent to see a young boy peeking from the opening.  _Shit_ , she thought to herself, now hesitating to swing, _Roland is never going to forgive me.  But I don’t have a choice._

The distraction made her fail to see the puff of purple smoke behind her.  The pain from a hand suddenly plunging into the left side of her back caused her to drop her sword and Robin.  “Ergh!” Ava let out as the hand gripped her heart.

Emma’s and David’s hands were still on Regina’s shoulders as she forced her hand into the intruder’s back.  She had managed to teleport herself and the other two just in time to stop Robin’s demise.  She gripped the woman’s heart and gave a tug, but something was wrong.  The heart was not budging.

Ava smirked through the pain of the organ being squeezed and focused her energy, blasting the three of them back.  She spun around to get a good view of her attackers all while levitating her sword back to her hand, lighting a fireball in the other.  She lifted the fireball ready to throw it at them, but stopped abruptly when her eyes fell upon Emma and Regina.  A gasp escaped her lips.

The blonde had managed to land atop the dark sorceress with her face smashed into Regina’s cleavage.  This caused her cheeks to redden in almost an instant.  Why had she enjoyed this so much?  Maybe it was because the pillows of flesh were so soft and warm.  Plus, Regina smelled like a hot apple pie straight out of the oven.  She basked in the moment.  What were these irrational feelings that started to overcome The Savior?  It didn’t make sense.  Hadn’t she become infatuated with the one-handed pirate?  Hook seemed to be the last thing on her mind right now.

Regina also took pause at the moment they shared in the awkward position.  Why did she secretly enjoy the weight of the other woman on her?  Wasn’t she in love with the man whose life was in danger? 

Both women managed to snap out of it and Regina arose from the ground.  The dark hose that covered her legs had been torn in several spots.  She lit her own fire out of anger and glared at the unrecognizable woman.  How dare she dirty the Queen’s attire?

Emma quickly jumped to her feet and with sudden focus she held her hands up, glowing with a white aura.  “Extinguish it and drop your weapon,” she ordered with a stern tone in her voice.   She put herself in between Regina and Avalon, suddenly feeling the need to protect the former mayor from any sort of danger.  Only this time, it wasn’t just for Henry’s sake.  Emma had other reasons, whether she knew it or not.

David pushed himself up and unsheathed his sword, which he noticed looked almost identical to the one the woman was holding.

The Savior took a step towards the intruder, which only caused the woman in combat boots to scrunch her nose up and growl.

Ava let out a sigh and pointed to Robin with the tip of her sword.  “You don’t understand!” she shouted, “He must die!”

“No, he doesn’t have to die,” Emma said carefully, “Come on.  Drop your guard and let’s talk this out.”

“Harm him and I swear I’ll burn you to a crisp,” Regina threatened.

Ava just shook her head and let the fireball fizzle out.  “No, you won’t,” she said.  This caused a confused expression from the dark sorceress.  “You are now incapable of killing,” she stated as she dropped her sword.

The words only baffled Regina more.  How could this woman presume to know what she was, or was not, capable of?  She had just intended to rip the woman’s heart out.  Better yet, why was she not able to?  The only other person whose heart was immune like this was Emma’s.

Regina narrowed her dark eyes at the unknown woman.  “Just who are you and where did you come from?” she questioned darkly.

“And why do you think Robin needs to die?” David added in.

“Yeah, I’ve never met you in my life,” Robin said.

“Avalon, or just Ava,” she responded, “I come from a dark time.”  She pivoted to look at Robin, who hadn’t bothered to get back up yet.  “He has to die because he set off a chain of events that caused the world to fall into darkness under an Evil King.”

Now Robin looked even more confused than the others.  “How in the world could I do that?” he questioned as he began to get up to defend his honor, “I may be a thief, but I have a code.”

Ava rolled her eyes and looked at the thief with disgust.  “We all have a code until pushed too far,” she spat at him.  She looked at him as if he were a bug that needed to be squashed.

“Then what exactly did I do?” he asked with a snarl as he got in Ava’s face.  He was angered that anyone could assume he was capable of such dark actions.

Ava only scowled back at the man she so obviously hated before pointing towards Regina.  “You killed her.”


	3. Chapter 3

After the shock had worn off from the news that just spilled from Ava’s lips, the questions came.  Robin glanced at the dark sorceress behind Ava and Emma.  The fireball in Regina’s hand extinguished itself as her brown eyes glazed over.  Her face was painted with betrayal, but at the same time, she had no idea what to think.  Then Robin turned his gaze back to Ava and his face began to flush with sheer anger.  The thief’s forehead began to sweat almost immediately, a drop of perspiration rolling off his brow.  He had never felt so offended in his life.

“I would never!” he began, but corrected himself, “No!  I could never even begin to imagine harming the woman I love!”  Saliva sprayed from his lips as he angrily hit every single syllable he yelled and he could care less if it landed on Ava.

The breakthrough shocked Regina, but it was not until now that she had come to realize that her feelings for Robin had changed ever since Emma had returned from the past with Marian.  This was the reason for her next snarky comment.  Regina glared at Ava and asked, “Are you seriously implying that a petty thief could kill me when hundreds of others have tried and met their demise?”  She scoffed and rolled her eyes.  “The mere thought of that is insulting.”

 _Even to this day the power behind her words still blows me away_ , Emma thought to herself as she began to flush.  The blonde blinked and thought, _Wait.  Why do I find Regina so enticing when she gets angry_?

“Ok, everyone,” David piped in, “I know tensions are high right now, but we all should focus ourselves on our new visitor and finding out how much of her story is true.”

Robin blatantly ignored David and said, “Regina, I would never even try.”  The man had obviously calmed his emotions when Regina made the remark.  He turned his attention back to Ava and asked, “Why in the hell would I try to kill my soulmate?”

“Soulmate?” a soft feminine voice inquired with a hint of hurt in her voice.  Marian had regained consciousness just as Robin spoke the question. 

A pang of guilt struck the honorable thief like an eighteen wheeler.  He turned towards his wife with an expression full of sorrow.  “Marian,” he began to say softly, searching for an explanation to give to her.  He knelt down and helped her up gently.  Marian ignored the dirt on her dress and the ache in her skull as she stared at her husband with tear-filled eyes.

“Huh, you still think Regina is your soulmate?” Ava asked, interrupting the man she clearly hated.

Yes, it had been correct that Regina and Robin were destined lovers, according to Tinker Bell and pixie dust.  However, Regina felt in her darkened heart that it was no longer true.  The connection she had with Robin had been severed a few days ago, but she hadn’t the slightest idea why.  “You’re saying we aren’t?” the Queen asked.  “If you are, you’re wrong.  Fairy magic is never wrong.”

Ava turned to Regina with a smirk and said, “That may be true…unless someone were to change the fate of another’s life.”  She glanced quickly at The Savior.

“What do you mean?” Robin asked because he didn’t follow where the woman was going with this conversation.

“Show me your arm,” Ava ordered as she held a gloved hand out.  Robin began to take a step back as if to refuse.  She huffed and grabbed the arm that had the tattoo.  The man grunted as the woman forcefully tugged his sleeve up.

Robin and the others had no idea what Ava was getting at because the tattoo was still there.  Everyone remained silent, awaiting an explanation.

Ava sighed and said, “You people really have a problem with paying attention to detail.”  She jerked Robin over to Regina and said, “Look closely.”

Regina inspected the literally permanent ink on the thief’s forearm.  Her eyes lit up when she realized the change.  “Well,” she began as she glared back up to Robin, “Leave it to a thief to ink such a mischievous creature onto themselves permanently.”  The regal queen took a step back and crossed her arms.

“What?” Robin asked with confusion in his voice.  He jerked back and took a closer look at his arm.  A look of utter disbelief crossed his face as he continued to stare down at the tattoo.  “It was a lion!” he proclaimed, “I swear it!” Robin stared at disbelief at the tattoo on his forearm as he realized that there was a rather mean looking Gryphon where a lion had once stood.

Ava propped her hands on her hips and gave a triumphant look.  “When Emma saved your wife from Regina and brought her here, the universe apparently thought you no longer required courtship from the Queen,” she stated.

A small amount of guilt ran through Emma’s veins as those words were uttered.  She had managed to become just another person to steal away Regina’s happy ending.  “Regina,” she said softly, but she was cut off.

“I already accepted your apology, Miss Swan,” Regina interrupted, “I should be thanking you for allowing me to dodge a bullet.”  She wouldn’t admit it to anyone, but Regina felt like a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders with the news.  She had no idea why, though.  Had she not been dreaming since Daniel’s death to find the love of her life?  Of course she had, but ever since Marian had been saved, she felt like that person was not Robin.

Emma didn’t know why, but she was also quite thankful that Robin was no longer Regina’s soulmate even though she thought she should feel like an ass.  _Wait a second_ , Emma thought, _Do I like Regina_?  She attempted to shake the thoughts from her mind.  It was absurd for her to have feelings for Regina, right?  It wasn’t the fact that she was another woman.  Emma had experimented a few times when she was younger and she was open to the thought of being with another woman, but had always pursued sexual relationships with men.  Still, this was Regina Mills, the former Evil Queen as well as the woman who ripped Emma away from her parents.  Even though that was the case, the blonde knew that Regina had never actually been evil, only broken and manipulated.  Henry had convinced her of that.

“Regardless, I still wouldn’t try to kill Regina,” Robin said with confidence.

“Not unless you were led to believe she was the cause of your wife’s death,” Ava answered quickly.

The thief looked shocked.  “Excuse me?”

“What?” Ava asked, “She attempted to kill your wife in the past.  Of course you would believe it if someone told you she succeeded in the second attempt.”

“But did I?” Regina asked with a hint of fear.  She hoped that her future self did not fall into that darkness again, but even she knew that there was a good possibility.

Ava looked at Regina with a gentle face and shook her head as a response.  “A rival thief poisoned Marian and set you up to take the fall.”

David took a step forward and put a hand on Emma’s shoulder.  She turned her head to look her father in his eyes.  “What do you think?” he asked.

“She’s telling the truth,” Emma replied, “Or she at least believes in what she’s saying.”

A flame suddenly erupted from Ava’s hand and she turned to face Robin again.  “Now you understand why he must die.”

“Wait!” Emma shouted and held a hand up, unintentionally freezing Ava in her place.  “Whoa, uh, sorry,” she apologized, letting down the spell.

“Shouldn’t your warning of events be enough to change the future?” David questioned.

The newcomer sighed with annoyance and shook her head.  “I’m not willing to take that chance, nor am I going to trust your word.”

“And why not?” Emma asked.

“There are too many factors and variables,” Ava replied.

“Like what?”

“I can’t say,” Ava said with a sigh, “I am not at liberty to provide you with much more information about the future.”  She paused as an idea entered her mind.  “However, perhaps if I show you what has become of your quaint little town due to Regina’s death, it will be enough to convince you.”

“You mean you want to take us to the future?” Regina questioned as she stepped towards the woman.  Ava simply gave her a nod.

“Wait a minute,” Emma interjected, “We are _not_ about to do _that_ again.”  She looked to her father, who knew exactly to what she was referring. 

David shook his head because he agreed with Emma.  “Yeah, I’d rather not have my son be used as a sacrifice again.”

“You’re worried about what it would take to perform time travel,” Ava said condescendingly, “However, you are looking at someone who can travel through time as she pleases, _without_ any sort of sacrifice.”

“How is that possible?” Regina asked, “Not even the Dark One can accomplish such a task.”

“You’re looking at the product of pure Dark Magic, pure Light Magic, and True Love,” Ava said with pride.  “Just about anything is possible for me, aside from killing the Dark One of course.”

“Remember what I said, Emma,” Regina spoke towards the blonde, “Unimaginable power.”

“How could a user of pure Dark Magic and a user of pure Light Magic _ever_ fall in True Love?” David inquired.  He believed the possibility was nonexistent.  Yet, this woman before them had claimed the impossible.

“If True Love really does transcend through all of magic and every realm, it _is_ possible, David,” Emma stated, “I mean, look at Belle and Mr. Gold.  He’s the Dark One and well, Belle is Belle.”  Her father began to say something and his face gave away his disagreeing demeanor; however, Emma interrupted him.  “Dad, not everyone who wields Dark Magic is evil,” she said as her gaze turned towards Regina, “The Evil Queen wasn’t even legitimately evil.”

After hearing the remark, Regina lifted her face to meet Emma’s eyes and she forced herself to hold back tears.  _Does she really mean that?_ Regina thought to herself.

The blonde gave the dark haired woman a soft and understanding smile.  She nodded her head slightly to Regina as if answering the question in her mind.  David may never understand who the Queen really was, but it didn’t matter to Emma as long she knew.  She felt a connection begin to spark between Regina and herself.  The Savior felt like she could stare at the woman she considered beautiful and never get tired of it.  Then, a sudden thought struck her mind, but she was too afraid to speak the words aloud.

_Pure Dark and Pure Light magic…could she be referring to Regina and I?_


	4. Chapter 4

The decision had been made that Avalon would take Emma, Regina, David, and Robin to the future to show them her reasons for wanting to kill Robin.

"The only thing is," Ava started, "we will need to bring a few more people with us if we wish to survive in my timeline."

"And here I thought you were all powerful," Regina snipped.

"Well, that's just how dangerous the world has become in the future," the newcomer replied, "The only reason I came here alone is because it was a last ditch effort. My group and I had been storming the King's castle when we were separated."

"Castle?" Emma inquired, "So, in the future, the curse is gone? Everything is back to the Enchanted Forest?"

Ava shook her head and said, "Worse. There's a new curse that has merged this world and fairy tale land all together, and I'm not talking about just Storybrooke. I mean the whole world."

Everyone around Ava became silent at that piece of information. She spoke again with a slight groan, "Ugh, there I go, giving away too much info."

"Okay," David said, "We need to get back to town and prepare for this journey."

Emma gave a nod of agreement and said, "Right. We should go to our apartment and keep this under wraps. We can decide who else we can bring with us there. We can't let anyone else, besides who we bring with us, know who Ava is or where she came from. Should someone who talks a lot, like Leroy, find out, we're gonna end up locking Ava and Robin up for their own protection."

"Don't remind me," Regina acknowledged, referring to her time being behind bars for her own protection from the townspeople that wanted to slay her.

"Good idea," Ava concurred, "In fact, I should teleport us all to your apartment. It would make people ask questions if they saw a newcomer walking around."

Everyone gave a nod and without another word, Ava crossed her arms and a dark blue cloud engulfed them all as they disappeared, not including Marian and Roland. Robin trusted that his wife and child would keep quiet.

* * *

The planning had begun after the group returned to Snow, David, and Emma's apartment. David and Robin had left to go discretely gather supplies for the mission. Emma had gone to retrieve her son from Granny's. Regina was left behind with Avalon and Snow to come up with whom else should accompany them. Rumple was on the top of the list just for the fact that he was a powerful sorcerer. Convincing him to go would be another matter altogether and everyone would need to be prepared to offer up a deal for the imp.

After much consideration, Regina and Ava decided that they should take Rumple for his power and Hook for his unfaltering loyalty to Emma. Snow didn’t like the idea at all, but there was no talking them out of it. She would have to stay behind to look after her and David’s new son.

Emma entered the apartment and Henry followed her in. The boy received a quick glare from Ava. He peered at her for a moment, wondering what that was about. He would have just shrugged it off, but he felt a jumble of emotions coming off the woman when she looked at him. She looked really familiar.

Ava walked towards Emma, but looked back toward Regina and said, “Now, I know that your magical powers are sound, but…” She turned to Emma and continued, “What about yours?”

The blonde appeared slightly confused and asked, “What do you mean? You saw it in the woods.”

“Yes, I did,” Ava responded while she crossed her arms, “And I could feel it then, too. However, I can’t feel it at all right now.”

“Well, that’s because it only comes out during emergency situations,” Emma replied, sounding a bit defensive. A few memories came back to her of such situations, the most memorable one being when Regina made a bridge collapse beneath her feet.

“And that’s exactly the problem,” Avalon said, “If you can’t use your magic adequately and accurately, then you are a no go.”

“Are you kidding me?” Emma scoffed.

“No, not in the least bit,” Ava replied, “But I do have an idea.” She glanced back and forth between Regina and Emma. “Although, the two of you may not like what I have planned.”

Regina got that look in her dark eyes that said, ‘You aren’t seriously thinking about…’

* * *

The pirate slid the door to the mines up with a hook where his hand used to be. “Things didn’t exactly turn out well the last time we time traveled, love,” Killian said as he turned back to face the blonde and the two other women.

“Don’t worry,” Ava said as she stepped forward, “I’ll make sure only good things come to pass for my timeline.” She stopped just before the entrance of the mine and looked at the other two women. “After you,” she said as a mischievous smirk grew on her face.

Emma and Regina did as they were told. The dark sorceress crossed her arm, gazing around at the mine with disgust. “What exactly do these filthy mines have to do with Emma learning to use her magic in a proper manner?” she quipped.

Ava copied Regina and crossed her arms as well. Hook threw a duffle bag he had been carrying at Emma and Regina’s feet. Ava held a hand out and a transparent force field appeared where the sliding door of the mine had been. Regina pranced quickly towards the pirate and time traveler as if she were trying to evade a trap. Her hands smacked into the field and her expression quickly turned to one of irritation.

“Just what the hell is this?!” Regina called out. The vein on her forehead began to pulse visibly as her brows furrowed. “I swear, when I get out of here…” she suddenly knew what Sidney felt like all the times she had him entrapped in her magic mirror.

“In case you have forgotten, you died in my timeline. I’m doing this for your own well-being,” Ava sniped, “We can’t take any chances in the future. Emma needs to be able to use her power on a whim.”

“What does that have to do with me being trapped in here with _her_?” Regina demanded to know.

“This barrier can only be brought down with Emma’s magic. When she is able to bring it down, then I’ll know she’s ready,” Ava answered, “It’s up to you to teach her, Regina.”

Emma’s eyes widened and she also ran to the barrier. “I don’t think this is such a good idea, Ava,” she pleaded, “I have a tendency to piss Regina off.” She received a glare from the woman in question. “N-not that I do that on purpose, of course.”

“Then you’d better hope that you can break out of here before she hits that point,” Ava said as her smirk remained, unwavering.

“This will take days!” Regina shouted with resentment, “Where are we even supposed to sleep?”

Hook cracked a smile and looked down at the bag as he said, “There’s a couple o’ bedrolls in that bag.” He grabbed another bag that was leaning against the mine wall and tossed it in. “Here’s a few rations. I’ll come back to check on you tomorrow to see if you need anymore.”

Emma sighed and said, “Thanks, I guess.”

“Cheer up, love,” Hook said, winking at the blonde, “Perhaps I’ll have a present waiting for you in a bed somewhere when you’ve finished your task.”

The blonde looked at the ground. “Yeah, about that,” she said with a sigh. Hook’s eyes fluttered with confusion. Emma raised her face back up to him. “I don’t really think this thing between us is ever going to go anywhere, Killian.”

“What?” he blurted out as his eyebrows slanted due to the rejection, “Is this because I’m letting this time traveler trap you for your own good? I was only trying to help!”

Emma shook her head fervently and replied, “No, Hook. I’ve been feeling this way for a while. It’s not anything that you did. You are very sweet, even though you can be quite narcissistic. You are also pretty good-looking.” She fed him compliments she knew he wanted to hear. “I just don’t…feel it. I’m sorry. I wouldn’t mind being just friends though. Can we do that?”

Hook let out a defeated breath with his eyes closed and gave a nod. His eyes opened back up to face the woman who just ripped his heart out, metaphorically speaking. “Just so long as you tell me exactly what your reasons are when you get out of here.” He sensed that there was an underlying reason behind his rejection, but knew Emma was unwilling to admit it in front of the other two women. Hook respected Emma enough to not push her on the subject as well as enough to remain friends with the blonde, even though she had really hurt him.

“It’s a deal,” Emma replied.

Even though Regina had just suffered her own loss of a relationship, she secretly enjoyed watching the pirate be shot down by a woman he thought was in love with him. She thought she had come far enough away from her feelings of vengeance to not care about this breakup, so why did she like it so much? Was it because she was about to be all alone with Emma for the next few days and didn’t want to hear about the pirate’s ‘devilishly good looks’? Perhaps it was just because she would be alone with the blonde? _Why am I looking forward to being alone with Em-Miss Swan_? Regina thought to herself, confused by her own feelings.

The time traveler and the pirate turned to make their exit. Once Emma and Regina were alone, an awkward silence befell them. The Savior turned on a heel and walked over to the bags, picking them up. She assumed Regina had expected her to carry their luggage being that the woman was once a Queen.

“What are you doing?” Regina questioned, stopping the blonde in her tracks.

“I-I figured we should get settled in…” Emma trailed off, not really knowing how to answer that question. _Here I go_ , Emma thought, _Getting nervous around her again._

“You’re going along with this?”

“Regina, she’s right. I am nowhere near your level. How am I supposed to protect you or myself if I am practically useless? Besides, do you have a better idea as to how we’re supposed to get out of here!?” She hadn’t meant to mention her desire to protect the Queen.

“If you had not noticed, Miss Swan, I am perfectly capable of protecting myself,” Regina conveyed with transgression.

“You mean like how you defended yourself against Zelena when she slammed you into a car or the clock tower?” Emma emphasized, “Ava has more power than the both of us combined and even she said she was in danger by herself. Besides, we can’t get out of this mine unless I break us free.”

“Fine,” Regina replied with annoyance, “Let’s get this over with.” She was not nearly as irritated as she made herself out to be. It was all a front to protect her from what she felt whenever she got around Emma Swan lately. It scared the hell out of her. It was the same thing she felt before she fell in love with Daniel, except the feelings for Emma had ignited within Regina tenfold. The Queen hadn’t even felt for Robin what she was feeling right now and Regina thought she was in love with him. She wouldn’t let it happen again, though. The last time she felt this way and gave into her feelings, it ended horrifically and then The Evil Queen was born.

Emma’s gender had not mattered to the sorceress; it had never even crossed her mind. In the past, she had enjoyed various sexual encounters involving other women just for fun. In fact, Regina found it amusing that in this world, many considered same-sex relationships to be taboo.

 _I cannot be falling…No, I will not fall for her_. 

* * *

After a few hours of magically setting things ablaze, Emma clearly seemed to be exhausted. Regina seemed a bit miffed at this since she still could go on the entire night, but she had to remind herself that The Savior was still new to magic. She glanced at the feminine silver watch on her hand and noticed that it was probably dark outside by now anyways. A sigh escaped her lips before she said, “Alright. I suppose that’s enough for today. Although, at this rate, I’ll be a grandmother before we escape this cave.”

Emma panted and gave the other woman a grateful nod. Sweat dripped down her face and arms. She had no idea that practicing magic could be so taxing. The blonde felt like she had just run a marathon. She noticed that Regina hadn’t even broken a sweat. How in the hell did she expect to be anywhere near the dark sorceress’ level within a few days? Emma suddenly gained a new respect for the older woman. Magic was hard.

At the moment, the only thing strenuous to Regina was trying to keep her eyes from locking onto Emma’s slick, sculpted biceps. She couldn’t shake the thought of having those strong arms wrapped around her in a protective manner. Training the rookie would also test herself. Regina thought she had all the self-control in the world, but apparently it didn’t apply when it came to Emma Swan. _Why does she captivate me so?_ Regina pondered within her mind.

Emma pulled a sleeping bag out of the duffle bag and walked to Regina with it. “Here you go,” she said softly before turning back to get her own.

“You don’t have to do that,” Regina stated softly.

“Do what?”

“Let me clarify,” the older woman said, becoming stern, “You do not have to do anything for me. We are not friends.”

Emma felt a slight pang of hurt and studied Regina. “You’re helping me. I should help you,” she began, “And why can’t we be friends?”

“Why would we be?” Regina was being short, “Besides, I am not in need of friendship from anyone.”

Emma sighed and rolled out her bag before sitting on top and removing her boots. “I thought I didn’t need any either, but after thinking about it for a while…I don’t have anyone here who can relate to the rejection I have felt all of my life. No one here understands what it’s like to be an outsider or to not be like everyone else. No one except you, that is.” She waited for a reply, but when Regina didn’t offer any, she continued, “So, all I’m asking is for a friend who understands me. Although, after destroying your happy ending, I could understand if you wanted to kill me.” The blonde finished and sat in silence. She didn’t expect anything from the other woman, but she could hope. Her heart ached for Regina to let down her walls and let the blonde in. _I wonder what it would be like to just hold her as we fell asleep..._ Emma smiled at the thought.

Regina took a moment to absorb Emma’s words. Honestly, she was touched by them, but she wouldn’t admit it outwardly. “Emma,” she struggled to say anything other than ‘Miss Swan’. The blonde stared up, not expecting to hear her first name. “I-I don’t want to kill you, even though it would be easily justified,” Regina declared, “But…I suppose I can try…to be your friend.” _Damn it, I said I would not fall for her_ , she thought. When Emma’s eyes met hers and she saw the bright smile on the woman’s face, her heart fluttered for a moment. Regina rolled her sleeping bag onto the ground near Emma’s, close but not too close. She lowered herself and carefully removed her heels. She mumbled beneath her breath about how she wished she could magic a bed into the mine, but doubted that Ava’s barrier would allow it.

For some reason, The Savior felt like this was right where she was supposed to be. Whenever she was around Regina, she was nervous, but it felt right at the same time. Emma let out a faint laugh at the Queen’s uneasiness by her dirty surroundings. It was going to be a restless night, but the blonde was sure she would enjoy it. Unbeknownst to the other, each woman was laying in their respective sleeping bags thinking about what it would be like to hold one another.


	5. Chapter 5

Blood covered her hands and midsection, but it did not belong to her.  The crimson substance belonged to the blonde she held in her arms.  Tears flowed from caramel eyes and streaked down olive-colored cheeks.  Panic ran through Regina’s veins as she tightened her grip on Emma, whose face was becoming paler by the second.  The Savior had just leapt in front of a blast to shield the Queen even though it had been a fatal blow. 

“I don’t hate you,” Emma whispered raggedly as she gazed up into Regina’s eyes.

“What?” Regina asked through a sob, more tears flowing freely.

“I don’t hate you,” the blonde repeated.

“Why did you do that?” Regina questioned while she pushed a tuft of blonde hair behind Emma’s ear.  She then used the back of her fingers that weren’t stained with blood to stroke the woman’s cheek.

“If this ain’t love,” Emma breathed, “then how do we get out? ‘Cause I don’t know.”

Another dam broke behind Regina’s eyesas the blonde became cold and limp in her arms.  Every emotion that she wished she would never feel again from Daniel’s death erupted within the Queen again.

“That’s when she said I don’t hate you boy, I just wanna save you while there’s still something left to save!” Emma’s shouting broke Regina out of the nightmare she was experiencing.  The dark sorceress shot up from her not so peaceful slumber to see the singing blonde with a white pair of earbuds in her ears.  Emma noticed the movement out of the corner of her eye and pulled an earbud out.

The blonde had found a camping stove and skillet within the supplies given to them.  Hook had also stopped by earlier to deliver something fresher and more tasty than the granola bars that had been in the first supply of rations.  She had decided to forgo using the stove and managed to get in some practice by cooking some eggs and bacon with her powers.

“Hey, sorry if I woke you,” Emma said as she turned to finish her cooking, “I made us some breakfast.  I figured we could both use the energy.”

“What on Earth was that repulsive chant you were crying out?” Regina quipped as she had quickly sobered up from her dream.

Emma rolled her eyes as she plated their breakfast and walked over, handing Regina her plate.  “It’s called a song,” she replied as she pulled her iPod from her pocket and pressed the pause button. 

Regina took the plate, but ignored the food to stare at the device Emma was showing her.  “I know that, Miss Swan.  Don’t resign from your day job,” she said as she noticed the name of the song Emma had been listening to.  She scoffed, “Typical,” before returning to her food.

The blonde rolled her eyes and said, “If I did, this town would be destroyed by now.  Besides, we all have guilty pleasures.”

“I find your lack of acknowledgement that you might be a narcissist…unnerving,” Regina quipped as she referred again to the song Emma had been listening to.

“Ok, Vader, what are you talking about?”

“What did you just call me?” Regina spat, a hint of warning in her voice.

“You know,” Emma started, “Darth Vader…Star Wars?”  The blonde became suddenly silent as she remembered that the once Anakin Skywalker turned Sith Lord had been the main villain of the film.  She shouldn’t have even dared to call Regina that.

“I know who that is, Emma!” Regina snapped suddenly with irritation.  She remembered how her son had forced her to sit for hours and watch the science fiction trilogy with him.  Having been offended to being compared to another evil villain, Regina asked, “Are you _really_ comparing _me_ to a fictional Dark Lord with _respiration_ issues?”

“I-I-uhh,” Emma began to defend herself, “I shouldn’t have said that.  I’m sorry.”  While the apology had been sincere, Emma also thought about the ways that Regina and Darth Vader had been alike, such as their death grips and having once been good, but the death of a loved one turning them evil.

“Whatever,” Regina voiced and changed the subject, “You burned the bacon with your magic.  You should have used the stove because you aren’t good enough yet.”

Emma could have gotten upset with Regina for the critique, but she understood that she deserved the woman’s wrath for insulting her.  “Hey,” she said softly as she placed a hand over one of Regina’s, “I’m sorry.  I shouldn’t have made the comparison.” 

The older woman’s hand flinched, but she enjoyed the warmth and let it stay for a moment.  Only for a moment, though, as Regina removed her hand from the blonde’s grasp to set her plate to the side.  “I believe it is time for more training, Miss Swan,” she spoke, changing the subject again.

“Right,” Emma agreed and got up to grab a stack of folded clothes, “Hook came by earlier and dropped some things off, including a change of clothes.”  She handed the outfit, which included some jogging pants and a t-shirt, to Regina.  “Here.  I know it’s not your style, but I figured you didn’t want anyone going through your clothes.  I also thought you would like something a bit more comfortable for, you know, magic training.”

* * *

The Queen was getting more and more frustrated as each hour passed.  She thought The Savior should be above the level of igniting simple flames.  Regina groaned and then ordered, “Again.”

The blonde panted because she was exhausted yet again.  “Regina,” she said in almost a whisper, “I need a few minutes.”

“Of course,” Regina sniped in annoyance, “You always need a minute.  We are never going to get anywhere if you are not willing to push yourself.”

Emma glared at the other woman and snapped back, “Hey, I’m exhausted! I am busting my ass!”

“Stop thinking about it and just do it!” Regina barked.

“I’m trying!” Emma shouted back as she straightened her spine.

“No,” Regina replied with a scowl before getting in Emma’s face, “You are thinking too much.  Remember how you felt in Neverland, the fear, the anger.”

“I don’t have anything to be angry about,” the blonde’s tone softened.  _I have everything I need right in front of me_ , Emma thought, _How can I possibly be angry_?

“Oh?” the older woman inquired with a disbelieving expression.  Her dark brows furrowed and she said, “You have plenty to be angry about, Miss Swan.”  Regina began to walk a circle around her with arms crossed.

“Like what?”

“First off, your _beloved_ parents gave you up and left you _all_ alone in this world.  They placed the _burden_ of being The Savior on you _without_ your permission.  Then, decades later, you reunite and they act like they have the _right_ to tell you how to live your life.  Then, you have the thief, who stole your heart, left you with child, and then abandoned you, only to come back years later, swearing he never stopped loving you.  Now, the _ugly_ seed of Rumpelstiltskin is dead and you are alone again.  Then, a one-handed pirate _thinks_ that he can replace Neal by attempting to charm you with his accent and ‘dashingly good looks’ merely to have sex with you, like you were a mere _wench_ ,” Regina preached as she pranced circles around Emma.  Here came the kicker.  “And to top it all off, your _charming_ parents decided to have another child to replace you because _The Savior_ was not _good enough_ for them.”

Emma’s face grew redder with each insult Regina threw at her.  The last remark was enough to make Emma snap.  “SHUT UP!” the blonde exploded as she threw her hand out.  A bright light erupted from her at the same time a blast propelled Regina into the cave wall.  Emma was shocked that this had just occurred, yet relieved that she had stopped the older woman from infuriating her any further.

“Ugh,” Regina groaned as the dust settled.  She painfully pushed herself up from the dirty ground, thankful she had not still been wearing her nicer outfit.  “I was not expecting to be the target, but now we are making progress.”

“Oh my God, Regina,” Emma gasped with wide eyes as she rushed towards the sorceress, “I am so sorry.  Are you ok?”  _Great, I have really screwed up any chance I have now_ , Emma had a panicked thought.

The dark-haired woman held her hands up and said, “Stop being sorry!  _That_ is your downfall.  If you are to be true user of magic, you must accept yourself and not have any doubts or regrets about using it.”

“But if I hurt someone,” Emma softly spoke, “I would regret that.”

“Even if that someone were trying to kill a loved one?” Regina asked.

“Well, no,” Emma trailed off, “B-but I don’t wanna hurt you.”

“Oh trust me, Miss Swan,” Regina replied in a dark tone, “There is no way you would ever be able to hurt me.”  She dusted herself off and began to glow a purplish aura.  “Now, the real fun begins.”

“What are you doing?” Emma asked with a hint of worry in her voice.  _Oh shit_ , she thought, _She’s gonna kill me_.

“Defend yourself,” Regina ordered as she quickly ignited a fireball and aimed it at Emma’s torso.

Emma shut her eyes tight and she clenched her fists as a light blue, almost white, aura appeared around her body, absorbing Regina’s fireball.

The Queen growled with frustration and shouted, “No!  You _need_ to _fight back_!”  Her eyes lit up a light purple as she angrily fired another blast at The Savior.

The blonde’s eyes flashed blue as she caught the next fireball and hurled it back at the sorceress before Regina could even comprehend what was happening, let alone prepare herself in time to dodge.  Thankfully, the throw had poor aim and the fireball only singed her shoulder as it flew past her and exploded onto the cave wall.

“Good start,” Regina snarled, “But try using your _own_ magic this time and actually _fight_ me, you pathetic _orphan_!”

The insult caused a rise in Emma’s anger and the blonde let out a low growl before she took off in a sprint towards the Queen.  A ball of white light formed in her right hand when she pulled it back as if she were going to punch Regina with it.

Regina had never seen anyone run so fast and she looked down in time to see white light emanating from the soles of Emma’s boots.  Before she had time to process the fact that Emma was propelling herself forward with her own magic, the ball of light hit her square in the abdomen.  Her breath was instantly forced from her lungs and she slumped over on Emma’s arm, dry heaving from the pain.  She braced herself on Emma’s shoulder and began to pull herself up only to see the unrestrained anger in the other woman’s eyes.

The blonde suddenly blasted Regina into the wall once again.  Emma gritted her teeth, the muscles in her jaw clearly visible.  “It’s your fault!” she shouted through clenched teeth, “You and your _fucking_ curse!”

The Queen’s eyes grew wide as she was lifted from the ground with light magic.  _What beast have I unleashed now_? Regina asked herself when she noticed that Emma’s eyes were steadily glowing blue now as if she had fallen into some sort of trance.

“You are the reason _everything_ in my life spoils, _just like rotten apples_!” The Savior shouted before she swiped her hand to the side, slamming Regina into the opposite wall. “Not only did you ruin _my life_ , but you’ve ruined the lives of _everyone I have EVER CARED ABOUT_!” she continued as she pummeled Regina with balls of white energy.  “You’re nothing, but a _fucking monster_!”

Regina gathered what strength she had left to form a barrier around Emma, trying to catch her breath as she coughed up blood.  She knew if she did not get a handle on the situation quickly, that she could very well die.  “Emma!” she shouted, “Stop this!  If you kill me, then the future is still set in stone!”

Emma snarled and slammed her fists on the barrier in an attempt to break free.  “Let me out, you coward!”

“Think of Henry!  How do you think he would view you if he knew you had killed someone, especially me?” Regina practically begged.  She walked towards the blonde and placed her hand on the barrier.  Her tone softened and Regina lowered her voice, “You are not a killer.  You never have been, nor will you ever be.”  Her strength weakened, which caused the barrier to collapse. 

The Savior lifted an arm to fire at Regina again, but was suddenly snapped out of her trance.  She felt soft hands upon her cheeks as she was pulled forward.  Soft and warm red lips pressed against her own.  Emma’s eyes went back to normal, yet remained wide as she became aware of what was happening in that moment.  When she realized how nice it felt, she closed her eyes and pressed back into the kiss.

When Regina felt two strong hands grasp her hips, she pulled back suddenly, breaking the embrace.  Had there really been no other way to stop Emma’s rampage?  She remembered the nightmare she had awoken to that morning and agonized over what she was feeling right now.  _No, I refuse to go through this again_ , she thought.

Emma ignored her racing heart when she tasted iron in her mouth, but she knew that she had not sustained any damage.  The blonde saw the small drop of blood on Regina’s lip and gasped.  “Regina,” she said softly with worried eyes, intending to apologize yet again.

The dark woman turned her back to Emma and shook her head.  “No, don’t say it,” she demanded, the feeling of being broken clear in her voice, “Just break that barrier and get us out of here.”


	6. Chapter 6

Her heart felt like it was going to pound straight through her chest.  Emma could not hear the last thing Regina spoke to her due to the roaring of blood pumping viciously in her ears. That and she had fallen into her own world where she could only gaze upon the beauty before her, wondering what it would be like to kiss her again.  Emma's body suddenly moved on its own and she stepped forward to pull Regina into another embrace from behind.  One arm wrapped around the older woman's waist as the other went across her chest, holding Regina protectively.  The blonde's eyes shut slowly as she inhaled Regina's scent.   
  
Regina began to pull away once again until she felt warmth other than Emma's body heat flow into her body.  She looked down at the scrapes on her arms to see a white light run over the wounds, erasing them completely, not even leaving behind one single scar.  Regina gasped at the realization of what was happening.  When the luminescence subsided, she no longer felt an inkling of physical pain.   
  
"H-how did you do that?" Regina whispered shakily as she finally broke from Emma's arms to turn and face her.   
  
Emma managed to grasp ahold of the older woman's hand as she came to face her. "I don't know," Emma replied softly, "I just didn't want you to hurt anymore."  
  
Regina gave a small smile and nod to The Savior before her expression turned more serious.  "Thank you, but now we need to get out of here," Regina stated as she began to pull her hand away; however, the blonde refused to loosen her grip.   
  
"You don't get to do something like that and just walk away, Regina," Emma spoke softly, staring into caramel eyes.

“I needed to break you out of your fit of blind rage.  I’m sorry, I should have tried something less…dramatic,” Regina explained as she looked towards their feet.

A hand gently lifted Regina’s face, causing her eyes to meet Emma’s.  “Well, in case you didn’t notice, I didn’t exactly push you away,” the blonde admitted as her cheeks began to flush.  _In fact, I found it quite enjoyable_ , she thought.

The sorceress rolled her eyes and made a snarky comment, “Well, don’t expect it to happen again.  You were attempting to take my life.  Sometimes, extreme measures have to be taken.”

A flash of hurt came across Emma’s face before she finally released Regina’s hand.  “Alright,” she sighed with the feeling of rejection heavy in her voice, “Well then, let’s get to work.”

“What do you mean?” the older woman inquired, “You should have enough power to break down the barrier.”

“I probably do,” Emma replied, sounding a bit depressed, “But I need to be able to use my magic without flying off the handle.  That way, I won’t hurt someone I care about like I just did.”

“You shouldn’t care about me so much,” Regina said as she crossed her arms, “I am the one who ruined your life, after all.  Also, it wasn’t your magic that hurt me.”

 _Shit, did I really say that_? Emma asked herself, suddenly feeling like such an asshole.  “I’m sorry,” she apologized before turning her back to Regina, “I didn’t mean it.  I didn’t know what I was saying.”  Emma realized and accepted that the woman had done countless terrible things that impacted her own life; however, the blonde still accepted the woman before her as she was and it made her feel guilty to call Regina out on her misgivings.

The Queen gave a shrug of her shoulders and kicked a small rock.  “It’s not like I didn’t deserve it.”  She wanted to be done with this topic quickly.  Regina knew she had ruined the lives of many people due to her jealousy and rage.  She just never had a clue that the evil bitch that dwelled inside of her would one day ruin the life of someone she would come to care about so much.  Also, she hadn’t been expecting her past failures to be thrown in her face so suddenly.

Emma huffed and pivoted to face Regina again.  “Stop,” she ordered.  The sudden command left Regina with a baffled expression.  “You don’t deserve that,” the blonde explained, “Regina, you have come so far.  You are trying.  You deserve to be treated better.  You keep telling me to stop being sorry, but so should you.”

“I have far more to be sorry for, Miss Swan,” the Queen responded, “And for all we know, I could fall again.”

The Savior’s eyes became stern before she closed the gap between their bodies again by suddenly grabbing Regina around the waist.  “No,” she spoke with great confidence, “You won’t.”

The Queen gasped and her jaw fell agape at the blonde’s sudden movement.  The darkened heart within her chest began racing.  “Emma, what are you-?  How do you know?” she asked as her brows furrowed.  Regina placed her hands on Emma’s shoulders and attempted to push her away, but she was held firmly in place.

“I won’t let you,” Emma spoke sincerely as she gazed into those captivating brown eyes, “I care about you too much to let you fall back into that darkness.  The only other person I care about as much is Henry.  Ever since the day I met you, I have wanted you.  I’ve just been too dense, stupid, and guarded to realize it until now.  And I have been here to watch you change into the woman you are now.  I believe that you will never return to your past.  I believe in you, Regina Mills.  And I will do everything in my power to protect you from whatever or whoever tries to pull you back down, I promise.  I promise I will capture and deliver you the happy ending you deserve.  And that happy ending may not include me, but it doesn’t matter.  Your happiness is what does matter and I will find it, no matter what.  And I will protect you from whoever intends to take your life.”

Tears welled up in Regina’s eyes as the words were spoken and it was impossible to hold them back.  Someone other than Henry had legitimately believed in her and her happy ending.  Plus, it was the one person who shouldn’t, yet the one person she yearned for so much.  The vein on Regina’s forehead began to pulse as her tears started to flow freely.  When Emma pressed their lips together again, the tears turned into sobs.  When the kiss ended, the older woman pressed her forehead onto Emma’s collar bone and placed her hands gently onto the nicely sculpted arms.  Her sobs increased in strength when she felt those arms embrace her tightly.  A terrible revelation of fear took out her knees, but the blonde didn’t let her fall completely.  The both went down to their knees.

“Hey,” Emma whispered, “It will be ok, Regina.”

“No,” Regina’s voice cracked in a whimper as she gently shook her head, “I can’t…”

“Why not?”

Regina sniffed before gazing up with puffy eyes.  She wanted this so bad, but she was too afraid because if something were to go awry, she would fall back into the darkness.  “Either something terrible happens to the ones I fall for or something happens to ruin it,” she responded, admitting to her fears, “I am destined to never have a happy ending.”

The blonde gave a gentle smile before leaning forward to kiss away Regina’s tears.  “All you have to do is believe,” she whispered, “I’ve had to learn that, too.  However, I don’t just believe you’ll get your happy ending.  I almost know for certain.”

“How is that possible?” the older woman asked with a confused look.

“I won’t say until I am absolutely sure,” Emma answered, “But Regina, in order to find the happy ending you so desperately seek, you have to be willing to take risks.  Will you just give it a chance?  Will you give me a chance?  Even if it doesn’t work out, I promise I won’t make you regret it.  And I will keep my promise to keep you from falling into the darkness again, regardless of what happens.”

Regina managed to quell her tears to answer with, “Admittedly, I care a great deal for you as well.  Otherwise, I would not be such a mess at the moment.  I want this more than anything, but…I-I just don’t know.”

A smirk grew onto Emma’s lips before she let go of their embrace and sat back onto her heels, cocking an eyebrow.  “Besides the obvious, what are you so scared of, Your Majesty?”

The formality suddenly ignited something within the former Queen along with the insinuation that she had been afraid of anything.  Emma apparently knew how to pull at the strings of her darker side.  _Damn you, Miss Swan_ , she thought before letting out a primal growl.  Her demeanor changed in an instant and Regina grabbed the straps of Emma’s white tank top to jerk her back.  “Not a damn thing,” she uttered before placing a fierce and territorial kiss on the blonde’s lips.

A pulse erupted from both women’s bodies, but they were so wrapped up in each other, they were completely blind to the fact.  Someone clapping their hands snapped the two women out of their intense make-out session.  Both Emma and Regina turned their heads with almost enough force to cause whiplash.  When they saw the intruder was only Avalon, they let out a sigh of relief simultaneously.  Now, had it been someone like Mary Margaret, the women would have sure turned as pale as Snow White herself.  The Savior and the Queen quickly got to their feet.

“How did you get in here?” Emma asked, clearly confused.

“You broke the barrier,” Ava replied, “Quicker than I thought you would, to be honest.  Kisses are apparently quite powerful in this timeline.”

“You mean…wait,” Regina started, “You meant for this to happen, didn’t you?”

“I haven’t the slightest clue what you’re talking about,” Ava answered with a mischievous smirk.

“Wait,” Emma interrupted, “I still haven’t learned how to control this power I have.  I’m too dangerous to use magic around others.”

“Dangerous is what we need, unfortunately,” Ava explained.  Emma gave her a worried look.  “It’ll be ok.  She’s all the control you need,” the time traveler said as she looked over to Regina, “However, if you lose your source of control…well…that’s what we’re trying to prevent.”


	7. Chapter 7

Visible breath puffed from his parted lips as his boots pounded against each concrete step.  His leather-clad chest heaved in and out with each pant.  A bead of sweat dripped down from a black brow and past a bright blue eye before being impeded by stubble at the strong jawline.  A slanted scar crossed the bridge of his nose, which was left crooked from a previous break.  Even though he was sprinting, every step was made deliberately and carefully as the staircase was slick with ice.  It was the dead of winter and the insoles of his boots were soaked from plowing through three feet of snow.  Men wearing silver armor lay dead at the bottom of the stairs behind him.  Neal reached back for an arrow as he kicked in the doors before him, entering The Evil King's throne chamber.  To his surprise, the room lay empty except for a man sitting in the throne.  It was not the King.   
  
The man wearing a long dark grey cloak with red trim cracked a wide evil grin at the intruder.  His skin sparkled like fool's gold and his eyes looked like they should belong to a wild carnivorous animal.  The man kept his brown hair short, yet messy.  "What do we have here?" He spoke as his hands pressed together.  His nails were kept in better shape than his predecessor's.   
  
"I should have known," Neal said gruffly, "The King is using The Dark One to hide behind."  His arrow was aimed steadily at the sorcerer's head.   
  
The Dark One stood and gave Neal a sneer before cackling, "The King sends the sincerest of apologies for not being present to greet you."  
  
"Where the hell is The King?!" Neal demanded.   
  
"You have made the mistake of assuming that I make deals like the former," The Dark One answered, "I am not Rumpelstiltskin."  
  
Neal was done with the petty games and angrily let go of the arrow.  Unfortunately the arrow that zipped straight for The Dark One disappeared into a cloud of dark smoke.  
  
"The King sends their regards," the dark sorcerer said with a laugh before lifting a hand.  The archer suddenly disappeared in the same fashion as his arrow.   
  
Neal reappeared in a dungeon behind bars.  He coughed as the smoke dissipated before realizing where he was.  He rushed to the bars, gripping them as if he could break them, which was impossible.  "Damn you!" He shouted furiously. _Avalon, where the hell have you gone_? He thought.   


* * *

  
Regina took quite a long shower after she and Emma escaped the mines.  She had just barely finished putting a silky red robe on before she heard a knock at the door.  The Queen huffed because she wasn't expecting anyone for at least another hour.  She hadn't even had the chance to do her hair or make up.  Regina wrapped a towel around her still wet hair before walking to door, opening it.   
  
Emma, David, and Killian were standing outside the door, all with incredulous expressions on their faces.  They had not expected this version of the Queen to open the door to them.   
  
Regina shot them a vexed look and said, "Miss Swan, I do believe that we had agreed to meet at the diner in two hours.  It has only been one hour and you are all here at my door step.  Perhaps you hit your head while in the mines and now suffer from short term memory loss?"  


“Oh, this will be good,” Hook jeered.

  
Emma blinked, not expecting to suddenly be chided by the very woman she had been making out with only an hour ago.  _Oh right_ , she thought, _No one else knows, besides Avalon_.  “I felt like Granny’s was a bit public, so I just went home, took a shower, and grabbed these two and came over,” Emma explained with a shrug of her shoulders.

A sigh escaped Regina's lips as she glanced down at Emma's boots.  "Very well," she gave in before stepping to the side, "Come in."  The trio walked in past the brunette before she closed the door behind them.  "Sheriff Swan, may I speak to you in private for a moment?" Regina inquired as she motioned towards the kitchen.   
  
Charming and Hook found their seats on a large leather couch in the living area while Emma complied with the Queen.   
  
"You could have at least waited another hour," Regina quipped once they were inside the kitchen.   
  
"What's the big deal?" Emma asked.   
  
"This," the brunette waved her hands to her current appearance, "I am not presentable."  
  
A smirk played across Emma's lip as she took a step towards Regina and put a hand on her hip. "You're worried about how you look?  That's odd coming from someone who bleeds confidence every time she enters a room."  
  
The former mayor took a step back, a blush beginning to form on her cheeks.  "Emma..."  
  
"You should know by now that I don't care about what you're wearing," the blonde spoke softly while she brushed an olive cheek with a thumb, "I've always thought you were beautiful.  I don't really think anything will change that."  
  
The older woman brushed fingertips across the flesh of the hand touching her as she stared into blue-green eyes.  She closed her eyes and dipped her head down, second thoughts waging another battle within her mind.  "Are we really pursuing this?" she whispered, "Should we be?"  All these emotions had her feeling like a helpless girl under her mother's control again.  Regina felt like she was losing herself, but maybe that wasn't such a bad thing since it felt right.  
  
"Don't start to pull away already, Regina," Emma pleaded gently, "I want this and I can tell that you do, too.  I want to be your happy ending...if you'll let me."  
  
A genuine smile, which people rarely got to see, spread across Regina's lips as she looked back up into The Savior's eyes.  "You're quite the sweet talker, Miss Swan," she said with a bit more confidence in her voice, "I told you I would try.  And I am.  Although, I will not make any promises that I will not falter."  
  
"I know that," Emma replied, "Trying means you will more than likely trip up, fall, and make mistakes.  I just don't want you to give up on trying when that happens because I will be there for you when you fall.  And even if I can't catch you, I will damn sure be there to pick you up."  
  
"Why?" Regina asked.   
  
An eyebrow quirked at the inquiry. "Why what?"  
  
"Why would someone like you try so hard for someone like me?  Why would you give a second thought to giving me a chance, especially after everything I've done to you and your family?"  
  
"I can see past the shield you put up.  I can see your humanity.  You're human like the rest of us.  We all make mistakes, some more than others.  That doesn't make us any less human.  I can see the woman behind the Queen, who just wants to be loved and accepted for who she is, mistakes and all.  I only see just you, Regina."  
  
Regina took a moment to soak up everything spoken by the blonde while a silence came between them. Suddenly, the brunette broke the tension between them by grabbing the sides of Emma's face and smashing their lips together.  Stumbling back due to shock, Emma had to brace herself on the counter to keep from falling.  Without giving The Savior the proper amount of time to react, Regina broke the kiss and stepped back to observe the other woman's reaction.  The Queen certainly loved to make people squirm, and Emma's expression was priceless.  "Well, I suppose I should go put on my face," she said before quickly walking out of the kitchen, leaving behind the path of destruction that was Emma.   
  
David looked up as his daughter entered the room, noticing her flushed face.  He automatically took it as distress. "Is everything ok, Emma?" he asked with a worried tone.   
  
The voice of her father broke Emma from her daze before she collected herself.  She held up a hand and gave a nod of reassurance.  "Yeah, I'm good," Emma replied as she made her way to sit.  _I'm better than good_ , she thought.   
  
As if on cue, Hook added, "I believe she's feeling rather fabulous, mate." The pirate picked up on exactly what the blush meant.  He also had noticed the lustful glances Emma had been giving to the former Evil Queen only minutes prior.  _So, that’s the reason, Swan_ , he thought.  
  
"Huh?" Charming blurted before Emma cut in to quickly change the topic.  
  
"Any idea where Ava is?" Emma asked.   
  
"She mentioned something about going to make a deal with the Crocodile," Killian answered as he waved his hook.   
  
Both David and Emma's jaws dropped in disbelief. "And you just let her go?" Emma questioned in disbelief, "By herself?"  
  
"What?" Hook gave a defending look.   
  
"She probably doesn't know what kind of deals Rumpelstiltskin makes!" David chided as he thumped the pirate on the back of the head.   
  
"Agh!" Killian winced and ran his good hand through the back of his dark hair, "Was that really necessary?!"  


* * *

  
 _Five horses galloped through a field of thick snow just on the edge of a dense forest.  On the other side of the woods, a tall castle could be seen.  Avalon dug her heels into the side of her chestnut brown steed so as to pick up the pace.  She began kicking herself mentally for not wearing something warmer, but she wanted to stay light.  She was faster that way._  
  
She looked to her right to see Neal catching up with her and gave him a nod.  Ava turned her gaze to the left, peering through her own dark locks to see another archer with shaggy dark brown hair and eyes to match.  His crossbow bounced lightly upon the back of his green jacket.  He gave her a gentle smile while the fellow on the horse behind him made puking faces at him unknowingly.  This man had clean cut black hair, a smooth shaved face, and bright green eyes.  A red cotton jacket with many abstract designs in black adorned his torso and black denim covered his legs.  He was far more handsome than the man in front of him and he kicked his horse further ahead in order to make that known with his middle finger in the archer's face.   
  
Avalon rolled her eyes and sighed at the men who constantly fought over her before turning back to Neal who just shook his head.  Neal was the eldest of the group and had been Ava's mentor even though he was only a year or so older.  She viewed him as an older brother even though that was certainly not the case.  
  
The woman on the last horse, face and all practically hidden by a dark brown cloak, scoffed at the immaturity of the youngest member of the group.  She noticed they were almost to the forest and yelled with an accent, "Could you at least focus on the task and hand for five minutes, Jones?!"  
  
The man in the red jacket stopped what he was doing and looked at the rest of them as if he were guilty of nothing.   
  
"She's right," Ava said, "We're almost there."  Just as the words fell from her mouth every one of them came to a screeching halt as the horses and their riders smacked into an invisible wall.  Each rider was thrown into the ground as their horses neighed loudly before galloping away.    
  
The group moaned and groaned as they slowly got to their feet.  "What the hell?" Ava grunted, wincing in pain.   
  
A puff of red smoke appeared behind them revealing someone decked out in silver armor.  Their face was covered by a matching helmet.  Intricate designs were engraved into the metal of the chest piece.    
  
"Glad you came," a woman's voice echoed from inside the helmet.   
  
"Why are you doing this?" Neal asked as he began to reach for an arrow.  He was cut off quickly though as the woman in armor held her hand out and teleported him elsewhere.   
  
"Neal!" Avalon shouted before drawing her sword.  It was no use.  Suddenly, she could not move.  This cued the rest of her comrades to draw arms on their enemy, but they quickly met the same fate as Neal.   
  
The armored woman huffed towards Ava and let go of her magical hold.  "I really wish you would join me," she spoke softly, "But it has to be of your own will.  And if that means making your friends disappear, I will do it."  
  
"No!" Ava pleaded, "Don't hurt them!  If it's me you want, then take me!  Just leave them alone!"  She was almost in tears.  Her friends had essentially become her second family since this whole ordeal began.  Avalon could not stand the thought of them being harmed.   
  
"That's what I thought," the woman sneered beneath the helmet, "I'll give you three days.  If you don't show up by sundown on the third day, they all die."  With that, the woman in armor vanished.   
  
Avalon dropped to her knees and wrapped her arms around herself before screaming out in frustration.  Everything always went wrong.  When would this madness end?  "I'm sorry, Roland," she spoke to the air as tears fell into the snow, "I have to fix it from the beginning.  I don't know of anything else."  
  
She began concentrating on all of her fears and everything that pissed her off.  Ava focused on a great deal of energy from her heart and forced it out and into her hand.  The energy lit up brighter than the sun.  The wind began to howl.  When she lifted her hand up the ball of light shot into the sky with the loudest crack of thunder anyone had ever heard.  


* * *

  
A bell dinged as the door to Mr. Gold's shop opened and jingled a bit as it swung closed.  The imp did not bother to look up from what he was studying.  He already knew who had come to visit him.   
  
"I believe the sign says closed," he said without the least bit of irritation in his voice.   
  
"Yeah, I don't see how you stay in business if you're closed so often," the woman answered sarcastically.  Ava's boots clunked closer to the glass case Mr. Gold had been leaning over.  Today, she donned a blue leather jacket, which fit snug around her ribs, along with a grey tank-top beneath.  Her tight fitting jeans appeared to have been slightly white-washed and her leather boots had seen their days of combat.   
  
Rumpel stopped what he was doing and looked up at the dark haired woman.  He quickly noticed the blonde streak in her hair and strong jawline.  She looked quite familiar and it unsettled him that he, The Dark One, could not put his finger on it, whether she was from the future or not.  "Ah, the time traveler has decided to grace my shop with her presence," he griped, overly pretending to sound surprised.  Of course he knew about her presence in town.  
  
"It wouldn't be the first time one has been before you, Rumpelstiltskin," Ava reminded the imp.   
  
Gold let a sly smirk appear and held a finger up.  "You know your history quite well," he said, "I already know why you're here.  You need me to go with you to save your future.  You can forget about it."  
  
"It's not just mine," Ava snipped, the volume in her voice rising.  She closed her eyes and took a small breath to control her anger before lowering her voice, "It's yours, too."  
  
The imp let out a small unamused chuckle before saying with sheer confidence, "You're from the future.  You know who I am.  Whatever is going on, I am sure that I will be fine."  
  
Ava stepped to the side, but didn't move her position as she slid both hands into her back pockets.  She cocked her head to the side as a mischievous smirk played on her face.  "Lost your _sight_ , imp?" she inquired with the daring tone of a devil.   
  
The posture and body language of the young woman before Gold spoke volumes to him.  Her tone of voice, daring and egging him on also unnerved the man.  He could not give her an answer.   
  
"Let's cut to the chase," Ava broke his silence, "You want a deal?  Here it is.  We all know you're all about your own self-preservation.  That will never change because you will always be the coward you've been your entire life.  Well, in my era, there's a new Dark One.  So, if you want to save your own skin, I suggest you come with us.  Besides, whether people like it or not, it was better having a coward as The Dark One rather than the man who is controlled by the dagger now."  She fought not to let tears well up as the last sentence was spoken.  _He used to be a good man_ , she thought, about Rumpel's successor of course.   
  
Suddenly intrigued by the time traveler's story, Gold leaned forward.  "I believe you have forgotten that I am the one who makes the deals, Dearie," he remarked snidely.    
  
Ava threw her hands ups in frustration and shouted, "Then what is it you want?!"  
  
Rumpel held up what almost looked like a peace sign before replying, "Two things."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Your surname and the name of my supposed successor."  
  
The woman growled in frustration.  It was her intent to not give up too much information, but at this point, the future looked bleak and she was becoming desperate.  "Swan," she answered quietly.   
  
"I'm sorry, Dearie," Gold pardoned, "I believe my hearing is also going."  
  
"My last name is Swan," Ava said firmly, "And to the second part of your question...well, you'll just have to find out when we get there.  Just don’t tell anyone."  
  
Mr. Gold fought the urge to let out a high pitched impish noise as he smirked devilishly.  “And who might your parents be?”

“That’s not part of the deal.  We’re meeting at Regina’s.  If you would like to be alive in the next thirty years, I suggest you come,” Ava answered with a scowl before she turned and stormed out of the shop.


	8. Chapter 8

Everyone had finally gathered in Regina's mansion.  The Savior and the Queen purposely sat away from one another.  Only two people in the room had a clue as to what was going on between them.  Avalon paced back and forth with arms crossed.  Regina followed the time traveler carefully with her eyes, feeling like she had seen the woman's leather jacket from somewhere before.   
  
"Ok, so," Ava began after she stopped to turn towards the group, "You should know that this is the first time I will have ever used time travel with anyone other than myself.  So, we need to be prepared for anything."  
  
"And what does that mean?" Robin inquired.   
  
"It means that it is entirely possible we could be split up after the portal spits us out on the other side," the time traveler responded, "Space and time is pretty hard to travel when you aren't using a spell to map out exactly where you're going."  
  
The Queen's perfectly sculpted brows came closer to one another with worry.  "Then how are you even able to accomplish such a task?" she asked.  This whole plan was beginning to scare Regina a bit.    
  
Avalon turned her gaze towards the hardwood floor becoming silent for a moment with a grave expression.  "My life energy," she replied, "Each time I open a time portal, I practically use a piece of my heart to do so.  It amplifies my magic enough to be able to rip through space and time."  
  
Mr. Gold shook his head, not believing her.  "That's impossible," he interjected, "Not even I have the ability to do that."  
  
"Not to brag or anything, but it requires the power of a special and pure heart," Avalon replied, "You may be the Dark One, but you do not have a pure heart."  
  
Charming leaned forward in his seat to interrupt with, "Wait, if you came to kill Robin, then how did you intend on returning to the future?"  
  
"He's right," Emma agreed, "If you killed someone, you would no longer have a pure heart."  
  
The time traveler turned her back to the group in order to give her time to fight back her tears.  Her jaw clenched as she refused to let the river break the dam.  "I wasn't planning on going back," she answered, "It was a sacrifice I was willing to make."  Ava sighed and shook her head before turning to face them again.  "That's not what matters though.  My life is small in comparison to this situation.”

“Maybe there’s a different way other than killing Robin,” David offered, “Perhaps we can help you fix your situation in the future.”

The Savior nodded and said, “Yeah.  That could work.  We could stop this King.”

“If that’s even possible,” Ava replied, “If you mean trying to kill the King…well, I’ve tried, but…”

“But?” Regina urged the woman to continue.

“Family ties,” the time traveler said with regret in her voice, “I really can’t say.”

Robin rolled his eyes and rose to his feet.  “Perhaps we should stop discussing it and get on with it,” he said with annoyance evident in his tone, “I’d like to keep my life.”

“Right,” Ava said, “I can’t make any promises to that, though.”

* * *

The sky became dark as night over Storybrooke as the town began to rumble from a thundering boom.  The party had decided to open the portal from the woods to prevent more damage to the structures within town.  A ball of light formed in Avalon’s chest and grew brighter as it traveled up her lifted arm.  Beads of sweat appeared on Ava’s face as she concentrated the magic flowing through her body.  The others watched in awe as she propelled the magical ball into the sky, which exploded when it reached a certain speed.  From the exploding light was born a purple beam of light that shone down on the group.  The wind began blowing very violently as if a tornado were bearing down upon them.

A calloused hand wrapped itself around one of Regina’s own.  Her heart skipped a beat when she met the eyes of its owner.  Emma looked back into the dark eyes and gave Regina a reassuring nod.  No one else noticed the gesture or exchanging looks since they were too busy gazing into the sky.  The two women gasped when their feet lifted from the dirt.  Everyone began levitating toward the portal in the sky along with any loose debris nearby.  The Queen quickly tightened her grip on the blonde’s hand only to have Emma let go and wrap a protective arm around Regina. 

A certain teenaged boy should have been behaving himself under the supervision of his quite young grandmother, but this was a once in a lifetime occasion.  So, of course, Henry found a way to sneak out of Mary Margaret’s apartment.  He stayed concealed behind a tree until the group was far enough into the air that they would not notice him.  When he saw his chance, Henry bolted towards the beam just in time for him to be engulfed into its light.  The boy began flying towards the portal and he looked down to see the beam fading below him.

“It’s about to get a little crazy!” Ava shouted over the roaring wind around them.  Just as her words were heeded, the group was suddenly sucked into the portal.

It felt like being on one of those theme park rides that took you up to the top and dropped you without warning.  Avalon felt every muscle in her body tense up in reaction to this feeling.  Her eyes shut tight in an instant as she tried to get a grip on herself.  She hated this feeling.  It was the only time she actually felt completely helpless. 

Emma’s hold around her Queen tightened when she felt the woman suddenly grip her jacket.  The blonde took a moment to look at their surroundings, but all she saw were thousands of lights beaming at them at an unreal speed.  It reminded her of what it looked like when spaceships went into hyper speed in sci-fi movies.  However, this was nothing new to The Savior. 

The pirate appeared unimpressed as well since he had once been through the same thing.  David, on the other hand, did not seem to be taking it so well.  The prince looked like he was falling in and out of consciousness.  Hook would have happily let his rival continue in this state, but he knew that Emma would never forgive him should something happen to her father.  Killian reached forward and smacked David across the face.  Charming snapped his head back, opening his eyes wide.  He growled at the pirate, but did nothing else.  Robin just kept his eyes closed and fists clenched, hoping it would all be over soon.  Mr. Gold kept his amusement of the rest of the group’s reactions to himself and remained silent.  He was merely here to ensure his life.

Suddenly, a literal light at the end of the tunnel appeared and they were shot out from the other side of the portal.  The group was suddenly falling from the sky.  This was something Avalon had forgotten to inform them about.  Everyone let out some sort of expletive when they noticed this trip had suddenly turned into skydiving. 

The woman Emma held captive was breathing heavily.  When she realized this, the blonde brought Regina’s face towards her own and said with a firm tone, “It will be alright.”  As if she had jinxed them both, she caught the form of a smaller body diving quickly past them.  Her heart almost stopped when she realized just who it was.

“MOM!” Henry cried out as he flew by his two mothers.  His body had closed up and froze in fear causing him to descend much more quickly than the others.

“HENRY!” Emma and Regina screamed at the same time, their fear blatantly obvious in the boy’s name. 

The Queen felt Emma loosen her grip before the blonde’s hands thrust her into another body.  Hook let out a grunt as he caught Regina. 

“Protect her, or so help me!” The Savior shouted at the man she now considered a trustworthy friend.  Emma placed her arms at her sides and pointed her head down in order to dive, hoping she caught up to her son in time.  However, she had no contingency plan for when she managed to get to Henry.

Regina was already in a panic, but her expression turned into one of sheer terror when she realized exactly what Emma was doing.  Her hands reached out for the blonde before The Savior dove away.  “EMMA!  NO!” she shrieked loud enough to make her voice hoarse.  It was happening again.  Pictures of Daniel’s death began flooding her mind.  Tears would have shed had the wind not dried them instantly. 

Avalon held out a hand as Emma went for the boy.  “No!  Wait!” she shouted, but it was too late.  Her plan was to protect everyone from smashing into the ground by slowing their descent with her magic.  She could not help Emma and Henry now without abandoning the rest of the group.  Ava prayed that Emma had enough control over her magic to save herself and the boy.

The Queen began struggling against the pirate’s hold on her angrily.  The vein on her forehead made it clear the emotions running through her at the moment.  However, Hook managed to hold the woman back even though he knew the sorceress could obliterate him at the drop of a hat. 

“Let me go!” Regina yelled as she elbowed Hook, “I have to save them!”  She looked at Gold, who simply looked unimpressed, and then to David, who looked just as worried as she did.

“They’ll be fine, woman!” the pirate blared back, ignoring the pain in his ribs.

“Have faith in Emma!” David shouted to them.  He looked down in time to see that the two diving bodies had disappeared from sight.  A small gleam of light blipped for a split second above a forest of trees.  The prince hoped that light was Emma’s magic.

* * *

Emma was about a foot from her son before she reached out to grab his leg and pull him into her arms.  The frightened boy clung tightly to his mother.

“Henry!  What the hell were you thinking?!” she shouted, obviously upset with Henry’s reckless decision to follow the party.

“I’m sorry, Mom!” he whimpered into her chest, “I didn’t know it would be like this!”

The Savior was about to reply until she saw their impending doom, which was snow-covered tree tops, just beneath them.  “Shit!” she exclaimed beneath her breath before clenching her grip on Henry.  Emma spun so they were in opposite positions with her back facing the trees.  She protectively covered her son’s head with one palm.  The Savior closed her eyes tight as fear flooded her veins.  Everything next happened in slow motion.

Emma’s magic engulfed the pair in a flash of white light just before they hit the trees.  Every branch felt like a major league player taking his bat to the blonde’s spine.  She felt the first one slice open the back of her jacket before the next branch sent a large splinter of itself into her lower back.  Every other branch her back smacked into sent wood chips around them, some of them getting tangled into her golden locks.  The ground felt like the weight of the entire world slamming into her.  Emma blacked out when the back of her skull collided with the cold ground. 

When the fall came to a rough stop, Henry realized that his birth mother had just saved his life.  He felt a piece of wood scraping against his side and suddenly pushed himself off Emma.  The boy looked down to see a foot long splinter impaled through Emma’s lower abdomen.  Crimson had begun staining the snow beneath them.  His blood ran cold when he noticed his mom was not moving.

“Mom?” he said softly before giving her a gentle nudge.  When she did not respond, he became terrified.  “Mom!” Henry shouted as she shook her body harder.  “Mom, wake up!  Please, I’m sorry!”  He feared the worst.

The blonde groaned lightly as she began to regain consciousness.  Her face scrunched up in agony when she realized how much pain she was in.  “Henry,” she spoke with a hoarse voice. 

“Mom!” he yelled again with relief in his voice, “Don’t move!  You have a stick in your side.”

“That’s just great,” Emma mumbled before wincing.  She painfully moved her hand to her holster and pulled out her pistol. 

“What are you doing?” he asked as became very confused when his mother began putting the firearm in his hands.

“You have to find the others,” she groaned, “But you have to protect yourself.”

“But mom,” he whined. 

Emma pointed at a certain place on the weapon and explained how to operate the safety.  “Take the safety off, point, and squeeze the trigger.  Always hold with both hands.  You’ve seen me do it.  Never pull the trigger, only squeeze.  Do not shoot unless you are certain.  Understood?”

Henry gulped and gave his mother a curt nod.  “I-I got it, Mom,” he replied hesitantly.

“Now go,” Emma ordered.  It was an unfortunate thing that she still had no idea how she healed Regina before because it would be great if she could figure it out now.  One thing remained certain though, the Queen had healing powers of her own.  That was if the older woman would even heal her after letting their son run off into the woods by himself with a loaded gun.  _Regina’s gonna have a field day with this one_ , Emma thought before blacking out again.


	9. Chapter 9

He watched as the group safely touched down after a slow descent, which was due to a magical barrier that Avalon held around them.  He was impressed the woman managed to maintain her magic through her fear of heights and falling.  His animal-like eyes peered at each member of the group.  He recognized Hook, Robin, David, and of course Avalon.  However, the other woman, who ripped herself from Hook’s grasp violently, he could not see since her face was obscured by brush.  Her voice sent chills through his body when she yelled, “Unhand me!”  Suddenly, he teleported himself before the group, yet kept his hood up to hide what he believed to be his hideous features.

Ava felt his presence and a sword magically formed in her hand before she spun around to point it at the cloaked figure.  Regina noticed the heightened tension, a fireball erupting in her hand almost immediately.  The rest of the group, besides Rumpel, became on edge as well.

When the cloaked man finally saw Regina’s face, he gasped ever so lightly and blurted out, “Mom?”  A sparkling hand reached out towards the Queen.

“You stay back!” Avalon yelled as she swung her sword at his hand.

The man retracted his limb to keep from becoming like the pirate that stood before him.  He slowly grabbed the brim of his hood and pulled it back to reveal his features.  Like every Dark One before him, his flesh sparkled like fool’s gold.

Regina felt like her windpipe had suddenly constricted.  Her face it’s color as she realized who the man standing before them was and what he had become.  “H-Henry?” she stuttered.

As the future Dark One’s shock wore off, he cracked a sick grin and placed his arms behind his back.  “Oh my, what have you done, dear sister?” he chimed.

 _So the prophecy is still in motion_ , Gold thought, _I never thought the boy would have it in him_.

Charming took a step forward with an eyebrow cocked towards Avalon.  He was shocked by the words.  Was she related to him?  Did he indeed have another grandchild in the future?  “Sister?” he questioned.

“It’s a long story,” Avalon replied without taking her glare off her older brother in fear that he would come to harm the group, “It will have to wait for later.”

“You’re more concerned that you might have more descendants than the fact that _my_ son has somehow become the Dark One?” Regina sniped at David with an angry expression.  “How did this happen anyways?” she asked as she turned her gaze back to Avalon.  _Emma is going to have another child?  Where does that leave me?  I should have known it was too good to be true_ , the Queen thought.

Rumpel stalked closely to his successor with a proud look on his face.  He was unafraid of the man as he could not kill him.  The dagger did not follow him into the future.  “I think its obvious how, Regina,” he said with a smirk, “It has been said the boy would be my undoing.”

“Under what context, though?” Hook inquired, “The boy wouldn’t purposely harm you.”

“Did I not just say that it would have to wait until a later discussion?” Avalon voiced in a low, warning tone, much like Regina’s.  “I take it the King sent you after me?” she asked her brother.

“Well, since you’re late, it has been assumed that you have not kept your end of the bargain,” the older Henry answered, “Let’s not forget the King would be insulted by what you have done by time traveling.  You’re lucky one of your friends isn’t dead yet.  But anyways, I’ve been sent to gather you.”  He lifted a hand up with a smirk just before a gunshot rang out.  Birds flew from trees causing snow to fall from their branches.  He growled and the hand he had lifted went to his shoulder to see a bullet pierced through him.  A snarl crept on his face as he spun around and flew at the culprit.  A wave of dark energy formed into his hand as he began to come down towards a teenaged boy.  He caught a glimpse of the boy’s face and halted his attack.  After landing on the ground in a squat, he pivoted slightly to face the group with an evil grin.  “Oh, this is rich.  The King will be pissed,” he remarked just before vanishing.

The younger Henry stood there, quivering, with the pistol still held up.  With shaking hands he slowly lowered the weapon so as to catch a glimpse of the shocked expressions of the group.

“Henry Mills!” Regina snapped, not believing what she just saw transpire, but thankful that her son was alive, “What in the hell are you doing with a loaded gun?!”

Henry tried to come up with an explanation, but it would have to wait.  “It’s mom’s!  She’s hurt bad!  We have to hurry!”

Without further questions, the Queen and David both took off in a sprint.  David stopped momentarily to take the gun from the boy before taking off again.  The rest of the group and the boy followed close behind with Henry yelling off directions.

“Who was that, Mom?” Henry inquired about the cloaked man, wondering why he fell short of smiting his life.

“You don’t need to know,” Regina answered shortly.

“But…”

“Really, kid, you don’t,” Killian interrupted.

They all came to a slight opening before David and Regina stopped suddenly.  The sight of Emma lying unconscious and pale in a pool of her own blood sent chills down Regina’s body.  It was just like her nightmare.  The brunette woman ran to Emma’s side before kneeling down on her knees.  “Emma!” she cried out as she placed a gentle hand on the woman’s cheek.  Tears began welling up in her eyes and her hand traveled beneath the blonde’s jawline to feel for a pulse.  Regina looked back at the others quickly just as a tear broke through and traveled down her cheek.  “She’s alive!” she yelled, “Someone get this thing out of her so I can heal her.”

David and Robin exchanged glances of confusion.  Why had the once Evil Queen been so upset by The Savior’s current state?  Gold saw their expressions and shook his head.  The imp had known for a long time that the blonde and brunette had feelings for one another, but wondered how long before anything would come from it. 

Avalon knelt on the other side of Emma looking worried.  “Damn it, this is bad,” she said, “I will help you heal her.  If she dies…well, we will have a whole other evil ruler situation on our hands.”

Regina looked up at the time traveler as Hook came to her side in order to begin pulling the stick from Emma’s side.  “What is that supposed to mean?” the Queen questioned in offense.

“Let’s put it this way,” Ava started, “For one thing, I will cease to exist.  Two, you’re going to go mad again because whether anyone else here knows it or not, you’re in love with her!”

Hook smirked at the confession and the reactions caused by it.  “I knew that’s why you left me, Swan,” he whispered before he got a good grip on the bloody stick before jerking it out of Emma’s side.

“Regina,” Robin breathed, “Is that true?”

“Just…everyone shut up!” Regina ordered harshly before hovering her hands along with Ava’s over The Savior’s gaping wound.

That reply answered the question within David’s mind as he ran his fingers through his hair.  “Mary Margaret is going to flip.”

“I think the better question to ask is,” Rumpel added in, looking at Ava, “how did you come to be?”

Everyone other than Avalon and Regina turned to look at Gold with curiosity.  “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Ava answered trying to sound innocent.

“Oh please,” Gold said, sounding insulted, “It’s obvious to me who your other parent is.  You are the product of True Love, are you not?  You also possess pure Dark and pure Light Magic.  Now, sure, I possess pure Dark Magic, but I think we all know that The Savior and I do not share the slightest bit of attraction toward one another.”  He could sense the disgusted glances at his last statement.  “I’ve known for a while what Miss Swan and Regina feel for one another.  The equation of Light and Dark Magic combined with True Love means that only Regina can be your other parent.  I want to know how.  Even I have never heard of two women being able to conceive a child, who shares their own blood.”

Regina slowly looked up from her hands to Avalon as Rumpelstiltskin was giving his explanation.  She finally saw it.  Some aspects of the other woman’s face made her feel like she was looking into a mirror.  The Queen could see both herself and Emma in the time traveler.  Once the wound beneath their hands closed, Regina placed a hand over one of Ava’s.  “Is it true?” she questioned sincerely.

Avalon let the hand linger for a moment before pulling hers away.  She did not voice her reply.  Instead she closed her eyes and gave a nod.  Of course it was hard on her.  Regina in this timeline was dead and Ava missed her dearly.

More tears formed in chocolate brown eyes as Regina came to the realization herself.  “You’re _my_ child?” she asked, “Why didn’t you say anything before?”

“If you hadn’t noticed, my plan isn’t exactly going accordingly,” Avalon replied, “No one was supposed to know.  There’s no telling how badly I’ve now fucked up the timeline, but I’m still here, so it can’t be that bad.”

“It’s good to know I’m not gonna be an only child forever,” Henry interjected, catching everyone’s attention, “Mom, when were you going to tell _me_ that you had feelings for Mom?”  He realized it sounded awkward after he said it, which had everyone smiling and chuckling.

Emma began regaining consciousness with a groan.  She opened her eyes and looked around at everyone while still in a daze.  “What’s so funny?” she mumbled as she struggled to sit up.  Suddenly, arms flung around her in a tight hug.  She leaned into the warmth and familiar scent. 

“Miss Swan, if you ever scare me like that again,” Regina threatened through tears as she clung to the blonde. 

Emma simply smiled and reached a hand up Regina’s back to stroke the back of the brunette’s head.  She knew the others were around them and seeing this display of affection, but she didn’t care.  They were bound to find out sooner or later because The Savior whole-heartedly intended to be the Queen’s happy ending.  Once Regina loosened her grip, Emma pulled back and looked towards their son and said, “Well, if _someone_ had listened and stayed with his grandmother,” Emma trailed off as her son had a guilty expression take over his face.

“About that,” Regina started with a threatening tone, “Did you give our son a _loaded firearm_?”

The blonde loved how ‘our son’ fell from the brunette’s lips and she couldn’t help but smile.  “No, I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Emma feigned innocence. 

“I would hate to break up the family reunion,” Avalon interrupted, “But we need to get somewhere safe.  The King’s men patrol this forest.”

“Where do you suggest we go?” Robin asked.

“My grandparent’s cottage.”


	10. Chapter 10

_“My castle is empty and so cold, for her leaving brought me heartaches that I have never known.  And there’s sadness in the treasures I now hold.  If you ever lost a loved one, then you’ll know just what I mean.  For what good are treasures and the kingdom if you’re a king without a queen?”_

_-Merle Haggard, King Without a Queen_

* * *

Blobs of snow fell randomly from the trees all around as the sun shown from above, its rays thawing some of the white substance.  The crew trekked through the forest on a path less travelled so as to not cross paths with the King’s soldiers.  Emma and Regina stayed side by side with Henry following closely behind.  Avalon took the lead of course.  Everyone had updated Emma on the new development that the time traveling woman was actually the product of The Savior and Regina.  The blonde was anything, but shocked.  She had informed the rest that she had pretty much figured that part out already.  However, when Regina had pulled her to the side to inform her about their son’s future, she became rather upset.  Everyone, except Emma, agreed it would be better for Henry not to know for his own good.  The blonde remembered her promise to the boy about not lying to him and made a mental note to talk to him about it later, in private.

“So,” Emma broke the silence, as well as everyone’s concentrated thoughts of the passing events, “Where am I in this timeline?  Trying to stop this Evil King, right?”

Ava came to a complete stop and spun around on a heel.  “Stop this,” she answered before she began glaring at each and every one of them, “Stop asking me questions about your futures.  Nothing is set in stone, especially after this escapade is done.  I will not discuss anything further than what you need to know.”  The woman had certainly inherited some of Regina’s tongue.  Her gaze came to target on Emma’s.  “As for you…you will unfortunately discover your fate soon enough.”  With that, Ava turned to continue leading them.

Just off in the distance was a clearing in the forest with a cottage in the center.  Avalon had made it out to them that it was small, but it was in fact a bit large to be a cottage.  A man, who was chopping wood for a fire, halted his movements when he heard the many feet crunching the snow beneath them.  He let the axe hang near his leg as he turned to look at the visitors.

“Grandpa!” Avalon called out to the man. 

David cocked his head back and looked from Ava to the man she called to.  It was himself, except maybe ten years older.  The confused the younger Charming since Ava was clearly about thirty.  Had time somehow stopped in this period due to this new curse or did he just age really well?

“Ava!” the older man yelled before he dropped his axe and ran with a limp to his granddaughter engulfing her in a bear hug.  He had yet to realize those that followed Avalon because he was so thankful that she was alright.  The man pulled back and rested a hand on Ava’s shoulder.  “Where is your uncle and friends?” he asked just as his eyes traveled to the group behind her.  Some were faces he had not seen in years.  One was a face he saw every day in the mirror.  Shocked eyes locked back onto the grandchild directly before him.  “Avalon Swan,” he chided, “What did you do?”

Avalon sighed and looked down with guilt.  “The only thing I could think to do at the time,” she answered, “She cornered us.  The next thing I knew, everyone was vanishing.  I gave her the false impression that I would come to her just to make her leave.  They were all captured.  I tried to go back in time to kill Robin Hood, but…”  She turned to look at the party behind her.  “They wouldn’t let me.  So I brought them here to do one of three things.  One, they could help us to stop the King’s rampage here.  Two, they find out everything, go back to the past, and change our fate.  Three, they just let me kill Robin.”

The older David shook his head and gripped Ava’s shoulders before saying, “The third is not an option.  You know killing is not our way unless absolutely necessary.”

“At least someone is on my side,” Robin mumbled.

“You know changing points in time could have terrible consequences,” Ava’s grandfather said.

“Yeah, well I was thinking anything could be better than this,” she replied, “Besides, isn’t time travel the reason I’m even here?  I mean, if Mother hadn’t gone back in time herself and saved Marian, those two would never had admitted what they felt for each other.”

Regina nudged Emma’s side and they locked eyes.  “Is that the real reason you saved her?” the brunette whispered.

“I honestly had no idea,” Emma whispered back.

“Well, if we are going to make this work, we are going to need a plan,” the older man said to the group, the leader in him coming out, “Everyone, let’s get inside where it’s warmer and we can share ideas.”

Avalon led them up the stairs and into the warmth.  Candles and lanterns were lit everywhere to give the area light.  A fire was going in the fireplace to keep the place heated.  There was no electricity in the place which made Regina feel like she was living back in the Enchanted Forest.  Then she remembered that this was the Enchanted Forest and our world combined.  Not to mention, they were under another evil ruler, so Snow and Charming may have decided to live off the grid.  _What did those idiots do to piss off a King_? Regina thought.

“Where’s grandma?” Avalon asked.

“When you hadn’t shown up in a few days, she went into town to try to gather info,” her grandfather answered, “She should be back by morning.”

“She went into Storybrooke?” Ava asked again, sounding bit frantic, “That’s dangerous!  The King’s men are everywhere there!”

“Relax.  She didn’t go alone.  Ruby and Leroy went with her.  Besides, she knows how to look after herself.”

* * *

After hours of discussing plan upon plan and no one coming to an agreement, everyone decided they were tired of arguing.  Storming the castle had been attempted and Avalon ruled that out of the question.  Robin suggested a stealthy approach, but Hook laughed in his face.  Plus, how would they get around the barriers.  Regina suggested that all magic wielders try to take it down, but Avalon informed her that the barrier was still too powerful.  Gold thought maybe they should lure the King out.  However, the King did not come out for just anyone. 

“We should rest and return to this in the morning,” David finally said with a yawn.

“I agree,” his older self added.

Ava nodded before looking to Emma and Regina.  “There’s a guest room upstairs you two can share,” she informed them and looked to the others, “Henry, you can take my room.  I’ll stand watch tonight.  The rest of you, find somewhere comfortable.”

“I’ll go find some blankets and pillows,” the older David said before walking off.

“You go on, Regina,” Emma said to the brunette, “I need to talk to Henry.”

“Emma,” Regina whispered as she placed a hand on her knee.  The Queen knew what this was about and even though everyone had agreed that Henry shouldn’t know his fate, Regina knew that Emma could not lie to the boy.

The blonde looked into brown eyes as she gave Regina a reassuring nod.  “It’s ok,” she said, “I’ve got this.”  The older woman gave a small nod before rising to her feet so that Avalon could lead her to the guest room.

Once Emma and Henry were in Avalon’s room alone, the blonde sighed as her son took a seat on the bed.  “What’s up, Mom?” he asked.

“This may be a case where lying to you would be for your own good,” Emma started, “but I promised I wouldn’t lie to you.”

Henry blinked once and looked at Emma with confusion.  “What do you mean?”

“That man you shot,” she began, but was interrupted by the teenager.

“But, Mom, I had to,” he began defending his actions, “He was going to hurt everyone.”

The Savior held up a hand and sat next to her son.  “It’s ok.  You did the right thing.  That’s not what I’m talking about.  It’s about who he was…is,” she corrected herself.

“He’s the new Dark One, right?”

“He is also you,” Emma confessed.  Henry became silent at the admission.  The blonde studied her son for a moment to see that a million things were running through his mind.  “But look, that’s why we are here.  We’re here to stop all of these things from happening.  I won’t let that happen to you.”

“But,” Henry said, “That means I would have to kill Mr. Gold with his dagger.”

“No one is going to let that happen, Henry,” Emma said as she put a comforting arm around his shoulders, “Especially your mother and I.  Plus, I’m sure Mr. Gold is going to be a bit more wary.  It’s gonna be ok, kid.  I just needed to tell you.”

“Thanks, Mom,” he said with a nod. 

“Ok, now get some sleep,” Emma said before she got up and left the room.

The blonde opened the door and entered the guest bedroom.  When she looked up, she saw nothing but Regina’s bare back.  The brunette turned her head back to see Emma out of the corner of her eye.  A flush of red instantly hit the blonde’s cheeks as she began stumbling backwards.  “S-sorry,” she stuttered as she began closing the door.

“Emma,” Regina called out softly, “Don’t go.”

Emma halted her hasty retreat, but focused her eyes on the wooden floor between them.  “Are you sure?  I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to walk-“  Her words were cut short by the other woman’s lips suddenly on her own.   She heard the door shut behind her.  Emma gasped because she had not noticed Regina crossing the room to close the space between them.  The shock wore off in due time, though, as her eyes slid shut and she leaned into the warm, wet kiss.  Every time their lips met, Emma felt like she was in paradise and that it couldn’t last long enough.

After breaking the kiss, Regina slid her hands around Emma’s neck and played gently with a few blonde locks.  She stared into those bluish-green eyes with a daring and seductive look that she knew would set The Savior on fire.  “What’s there to be sorry about?” she teased, “Don’t like what you see?”  The blonde went to answer the last question, but she could not formulate the words.  Regina gave an evil smirk.  The Queen loved making her subjects squirm and this one was completely dumbfounded.

“Hmm, perhaps you would be able to use your tongue to answer your Queen if you were a bit more comfortable?” Regina remarked in a dark tone as she pulled the blonde towards the bed before gently pushing her onto it.  She didn’t think Emma’s face could get any redder, but it did.

Emma was trying to focus, but her heart beating all the way into her ears was making that hard.  She had made the mistake of walking in on her Queen in the middle of changing so Regina now stood before her in only a pair of lacy royal purple panties.  The blonde could not keep her eyes away from the brunette’s chest.  She felt like she was caught under a spell since she couldn’t move as Regina made her way on top of the blonde.  Emma gulped slightly as those dark eyes tore a hole into her.

Regina pressed their lips together again and finally Emma opened her mouth as if inviting her in.  Their tongues clashed and dueled while the blonde put a hand on Regina’s ribs.  The brunette pulled back only to press her lips to Emma’s neck.  The gasp and moan that followed caused the Queen’s adrenaline to rise.  Regina scraped her teeth gently against the flesh as one hand found itself gently grasping one of Emma’s breasts beneath her shirt.

“Regina,” Emma gasped.  Finally, her mouth was working, but there were no other words she could force out.  Her expression transformed from pleasure to shock when Regina sat up and suddenly pulled Emma up as well.

The Queen began pushing off Emma’s jacket and the blonde was all too happy to help with that process before flinging it off to the side of the bed.  The rest of Emma’s clothing followed in succession as quickly as the two could remove them.  Regina stared at the sight before her in awe.  The Savior was absolutely gorgeous, but the Queen was not about to give her the benefit of the doubt.  “Oh my,” Regina said, “I do believe our dear Savior has found herself in quite the predicament.”

Emma melted at the tone Regina used.  The older woman always knew what buttons to push to set the blonde ablaze.  When Regina latched her lips onto Emma’s neck again, the blonde felt a chill shoot through her spine.  Goosebumps rose on her arms as her nipples became painfully hard.  Her nails dug into the older woman’s back when she felt teeth gently bite down into neck.  Emma involuntarily bucked her hips up into Regina’s groin, and her Queen was obliged to grind back into her with a muffled moan escaping her throat.

Regina forced Emma’s back to collide with the mattress yet again before planting kisses across her collar bone.  The Queen made her way down to give one of Emma’s nipples a flick of her tongue.  This made the younger woman arch her back allowing Regina to take the entire nipple into her mouth.  She gently sucked on it while her hand massaged the opposite breast before rolling the other nipple in between her thumb and index finger.

Almost every move made by Regina produced a gasp from the blonde.  Emma felt a familiar ache between her legs, but this time, it was not like her other experiences.  The way Regina made her feel was unexplainable and she was quickly losing herself to the pleasure being brought on her at the moment.  The brunette moved carefully and methodically on her body.  She felt the older woman’s nails drag gently down her abdomen.  When it crossed the threshold of her hip and thigh, Emma jerked a bit because that area was ticklish.  However, she let out a primal moan when those nails grazed the inside of her thigh.

Regina didn’t have to touch Emma’s mound to tell that she was already wet with excitement.  The blonde’s body was on fire beneath her and that was enough for her to know.  The Queen let her hand stop short of Emma’s groin while she continued her assault on her nipple.  She knew it was only a matter of time before, “Regina, please,” would escape The Savior’s lips.

The older woman released the nipple to stare into her partner’s eyes.  “My, my,” Regina quipped in that seductive tone again, “Are we begging now?”  She teased Emma by placing her index and middle finger on either side of the blonde’s outer lips before massaging up and down.  When Emma begged her again, she did not oblige.  She only stroked the slit, just barely grazing the tip of Emma’s clit.  This caused the woman beneath her to push her hips into the touch.  “What has gotten you so wet?” Regina inquired with a devilish smirk.

“Please, Regina,” Emma gasped as a finger pressed against her clit.  She gazed into dark eyes with a begging look.

“You will have to be a bit more formal than that,” Regina replied as the tip of her middle finger just barely entered Emma before making it retreat to rub the blonde’s clit.

“Please, Your Majesty,” the blonde whispered through a moan.

“Please what?”

“Please,” Emma gasped again, “Fuck me.”

The vein on the older woman’s forehead became visible as a wicked grin crossed her lips.  She moaned when nails dug into her back again as she pushed two fingers into the woman beneath her.  After a long intake of air, it seemed like Emma would never exhale.  Regina curved her fingers as she thrust them deep into the blonde while massaging the clit with her thumb.  She made sure that with each thrust, she was hitting that rough patch of flesh inside the blonde that made her moan louder and louder.  In order to keep the rest of the household from hearing them, Regina crashed their lips together to muffle the cries of pleasure.  With each thrust, Emma’s walls clamped down on Regina’s fingers, tighter and tighter.  The brunette knew her Savior was getting close so she began pushing in harder.  When the blonde arched her body into Regina, she gave one final thrust and pressed hard into her g-spot.  The walls clenched down painfully onto her fingers.

Emma’s hips bucked and jerked as the waves of her climax slammed into her like brick walls.  Her heart was racing a million miles per hour.  Finally, her back fell to the sheets and their lips parted.  The blonde panted as if she had just run a marathon.  Honestly, she had never experienced an orgasm so intense.  It was like the proverbial fireworks going off, but better.  Sure Emma had kissed and made out with other women before, but she never had sex with one.  “Regina,” she panted, “That was…I don’t even know…I can’t even think straight.”

From watching the other woman writhe in pleasure under her touch, Regina grew even hungrier.  She slowly slid her fingers from between Emma’s legs and held them up to her lips.  She let her tongue lap up Emma’s juices and thoroughly clean her fingers all the while staring down at her prey with daring eyes.  It was enough to set the blonde off.

Emma suddenly grabbed Regina and threw her onto the bed, now being on top, in between the older woman’s legs.  She kissed her feverishly and held the brunette’s arms down.  There was no doubt in her mind that Regina liked it rough and this was reassured with a moan the moment Emma’s hands had gripped Regina’s wrists.  Suddenly, she broke the kiss to bite down onto the brunette’s shoulder rather hard.  The older woman hissed in pain, but did not stop the blonde even when she began sucking.  Emma didn’t know what caused her to do what she did, but she thought it was her instinct telling her to mark her territory.  Regina dragged her nails painfully down Emma’s back until the sucking stopped.  The pain had caused another rush of wetness to coat her already soaked groin. 

“You’re in dangerous territory, Savior,” Regina remarked with a glare at the blonde.

“I’m only finishing what you started, my Queen,” Emma snipped back with her own seductive look.  This caused the Queen to bite her own bottom lip.

Regina was completely caught off guard when The Savior suddenly pulled her panties down and off her legs with one tug.  Suddenly, Emma had pulled her legs apart again and had brazenly moved far down the bed.  A surprised gasp escaped her lips when she felt Emma’s fingers spread her lips.  She threw her palms onto the headboard when The Savior flicked her tongue against the tip of her clit.  The Queen was fighting not to let out her own moans of pleasure, especially when she felt Emma’s tongue push into her entrance.  It drove her crazy and she suddenly had a fistful of blonde hair in her grasp. 

Emma wrapped her arms around both of Regina’s thighs and buried her face into the wetness.  She began flicking her tongue rapidly against the woman’s swollen clit.  The blonde hadn’t minded that Regina was pulling on her hair.  She pulled one arm out from under Regina’s thigh and then pushed two fingers into the woman’s inviting hole. 

Regina could not stop the sound of ecstasy that escaped her lips due to the action.  She quickly used her free hand to cover her mouth as Emma began ramming her fingers into her hard all the while licking her clit.  The Queen was still in shock because she was under the impression that Emma had never done this before.  She had already been extremely horny when Emma had entered the room, but The Savior’s sudden brazenness turned her on even more, which is the reason she was already so close to her climax.  “I’m so close,” she let out as quietly as possible.  The indication caused Emma to thrust her fingers at a quicker pace.  Regina shut her eyes tightly as her body began to shudder violently while her hips bucked uncontrollably.  Her walls clamped down on the blonde’s intruding fingers.  “Emma,” she gasped as the orgasm ravaged her body, “I love you.”  Everything fell silent as her climax finally settled down.

The Queen quickly realized her confession when she felt the blonde move.  A sudden pang of fear and hurt ran through her when Emma said nothing.  Regina felt hot tears welling up in her eyes.  _What did I do_? She thought fearfully.  She forced the tears back when Emma came to her line of sight, hovering just above her body.

The blonde gave a gentle smile to her Queen before leaning down to quickly kiss her cheek.  She whispered into her ear, “I love you, too, Regina.”

Relief washed through Regina’s body and she smiled back to her lover, who decided to lie next to her.  Emma wrestled the blanket from beneath them and pulled it over their bodies before Regina rested her head on The Savior’s shoulder.  The blonde placed a protective arm around her Queen before they quickly fell asleep.

* * *

The next morning had everyone jumping to their feet due to the sound of someone banging their fist into the door of the cottage.  Emma and Regina were the last to come down since they had to put all their clothes back on. 

The older David swung the door open, sword in hand in case it was someone not welcome.  However, it was just a frantic Grumpy standing there.  “Leroy, what’s wrong?” he asked.

“The King is coming!” he shouted with the answer.

“What? How?” the older Charming inquired frantically, “Where’s Snow and Ruby?!”

“She said she sensed Ava’s energy here!  Mary Margaret and Ruby said they would try to hold her off while I came to warn you!” Leroy yelled in a panic.  Then he noticed the others standing behind Charming and became completely baffled.  “What’s going on?”  As soon as the question left his mouth, four white horses pulling a carriage of the same shade galloped up before coming to a stop.  Two other horses carrying armored knights followed behind the carriage.

“Shit,” Ava cursed from behind her grandfather.  She pushed past him and Leroy, walking towards the carriage.

“Ava, wait!” the older man shouted before running after her.  This allowed the rest of the group to file out, each one of them interested in the sudden commotion.  The older David suddenly collapsed mid-sprint with one arm outstretched.  He winced, grabbing his right leg, cursing it.

Emma rushed to the fallen man and helped him up.  “You ok?”  He gave a curt nod and looked to the opening door of the carriage with anger.  The blonde looked toward it as well to see a body of silver armor stepping out.

“Did you think you would get away with this, Avalon?” a female voice came from beneath the helmet of armor.

After hearing the voice, Regina began to tremble.  She had heard the voice many times.  It was the voice she was in love with.

“Absolutely,” Ava replied before glowing purple and white.  She suddenly sent a blast of white energy at the King.

The King was blown back into her carriage, which spooked the horses connected to it.  She then hit the ground, which caused her helmet to fall off and roll away, revealing a bundle of blonde locks beneath it.  A black patch with a band wrapped around her head covered her left eye.  The other eye was glowing red, but beneath were the remnants of bluish-green.  A long scar went down the left side of her face, intersecting with the eye patch.  She gave a dark smirk as she lifted herself from the snowy ground.  “You have all the power in the world to destroy me, kid,” she remarked, “Yet you still hold back.”

Henry had a shocked look when he saw the woman’s face, but he was even more surprised to see the wavy dagger on her waist line with his name engraved on it.

“Emma,” Regina gasped before turning to look at the woman beside her with shocked and worried eyes.  She never thought Emma would be capable of the same evil that once invaded her senses, but the proof was there.

“No,” Emma barely whispered.  Tears formed in her eyes as she realized what the implications meant.  If Regina died, she would simply go mad.

“Maybe because I still have faith that you might change one day!” Ava shouted at her mother.

“That kind of thinking will get you killed,” the King growled before glowing red.

“This is the Evil King?” Hook inquired, “I was expecting a man, not Emma.”

The King aimed her glare at her former best friend.  “You think just because I’m a woman doesn’t mean I can be King?” she scoffed, “No, I refuse to call myself Queen.  There can only be one Evil Queen.”  She looked past the group toward Robin.  “And you killed her!” she shouted before lifting up a fireball to throw.  Suddenly, an arrow found its way in between two plates of armor and into her shoulder.  Her magic faded away and she cried out in pain.  Her glare turned towards the tree tops to see a hooded figure with a bow and arrow.

“I suggest you leave now!” Snow’s voice rang out, “I brought you into this world, and I can take you out of it!”

The King snarled at her own mother before taking the arrow lodged into her shoulder and ripping it out.  She would have to heal it later since the poison laced in the arrow prevented her from using her magic.  “Squid ink,” she quipped, “How convenient.   We’ll see how baby brother likes it when I take my vengeance out on him.”  She smirked and walked back towards her carriage.

The older David lunged forward with a, “No!  Don’t you dare!”  The two horses carrying knights leapt towards the group as they began rushing forward, halting their charge.

Emma watched as the horses and carriage retreated back into the forest.  She mumbled to herself, “This is bad.  This is really bad.”


	11. Chapter 11

The King stormed through her castle, shoving aside anyone standing in her way, regardless if they had seen her or not.  Most of these people were her own guards.  The gasps of those she assaulted alerted others to quickly move.  She tore through the throne room and down a hall to the right. 

 _She_ had been there.  Her own daughter had brought that woman here to use her as a weakness. Gone were the days of the blonde’s superpower of knowing she was being lied to.  Emma saw the woman she had fallen in love with so many years ago, yet she could not feel what she had felt before.  She felt nothing except wrath.  It had not taken an extended amount of time for her to become this way.  Her true love had been taken from her far too early and when it came down to it, no one else had been there to help her avenge the Queen’s death other than their son.  Even Henry had fallen into the same path as the King, although, that was partially her fault.

Once in her bed chambers, Emma began removing her armor.  She felt her magic returning as the poison in her open wound began to wear off.  With a wave of her hand, she quickly healed the puncture in her shoulder.  Emma walked to her bedside and snatched up a wooden box on the night stand.  She cracked it open to reveal a pulsing white light that resembled the shape of a human heart.  A growl escaped her throat and she slammed the box shut before hurling it at a wall with fury.  Thankfully, the box did not shatter, but she still winced in pain when it impacted the wall.  The King wanted so badly to destroy what was inside.  It would be the end of her pain and suffering.  However, she had tried in the past, but it was as if the burden she was cursed with was indestructible.  She began remembering why she ripped the abomination from her chest.  She assumed it would keep her from feeling what brought her down to her knees.  It had worked for others, so why not her?

* * *

 

_It was the day after the funeral.  Emma had vehemently requested that everyone not wear all black.  That type of attire would only be fit for the death of an Evil Queen.  She knew that her wife did not want to die as that, and she didn’t.  She died as Regina, someone who had redeemed and absolved herself.  The woman she had fallen in love with and created a family with had left those days where they belonged, in the past.  They had both been living their happily ever after, but then that fucking thief had come and tore out the last pages of their story.  He was an outlaw and Emma was still the sheriff, so it was her job to make him pay, regardless of the suggestion made by David that she should remove herself from the investigation._

_After another accented smartass remark from the hungover man in front of her, Emma found herself stretching across the interrogation table, the threads of his shirt collar popping and snapping under her harsh grip.  Her face scrunched up and her forehead wrinkled with a scowl of growing rage.  “You think this is fucking funny?!” she spit in Scarlet’s face.  The touch of David’s hand on her shoulder caused her to flinch.  “Where is he?!” Emma roared again.  It had been the third time she asked the question and her patience was paper thin._

_“I already told you,” William sneered back, “I don’t know.  I haven’t seen him since that day.  And even if I did know, I wouldn’t tell you.”  He did not know just how thin the ice he was treading on had become.  Then it snapped._

_Somehow, the table between them exploded into a million tiny splinters.  The next thing David knew was that his back had slammed into the wall behind him.  He let out a small groan of pain before he opened his eyes to see the suspect had been lifted off his feet.  The revelation that Emma was holding the full grown adult male up with one hand was sobering.  David pushed himself up with haste and carefully reached out a hand towards his daughter.  William struggled for an intake of air, but his attempt was futile.  “Emma,” David whispered shakily, “You don’t have to do this…”_

_A soft glow of blue had enveloped Emma as well as her irises.  Her expression had become a calm one, yet she still held the man up with her left hand while the other lifted from her side with a glowing white orb.  A smirk appeared upon her lips when she felt William shiver beneath her grip when the magical ball of light came into his sight.  Is this what it felt like to invoke such fear into the hearts of others?  She almost enjoyed it.  Emma was about to plow into the man with her magic, but then the glint of reflecting light caught her attention.  Her eyes moved to the ring finger of the hand holding Scarlet up.  What was she doing?  Regina would not have approved of this.  Maybe the Evil Queen would, but that was not Emma’s Regina.  The aura around the blonde faded as she dropped William to the floor where he gasped and choked for a breath.  Emma turned to see David breathing a sigh of relief._

_“It’s ok,” Charming assured softly with a forgiving expression._

_Emma shook her head with tears forming and quickly falling.  What was this going to do to her?  Sure, she had lost people she loved before, and she had moved on from it, but this time, Emma had not just lost someone she loved.  She lost her true love, her soulmate, her happy ending, her Regina.  “No,” she croaked hoarsely to David as more tears fell, “It is not ok.”  Emma quickly moved past him and out of the door of the interrogation room.  She had also lost her control.  No matter how much Regina had taught Emma about magic, the older woman had still been her control when she had none over herself._

_“Emma, wait,” David pleaded as her followed her out of the room, not caring whether he locked it behind him or not.  However, it was too late and Emma had already exited the station.  He let out a defeated breath before he began moving the suspect from the interrogation room back into his cell._

_After returning to the manor that Regina had shared with her, Emma quickly made her way to their bedroom to collapse onto the mattress.  She muffled hers sobs into the pillow her wife used to rest her head on every night.  It still retained the scent of Regina’s shampoo, which only made the blonde cry harder.  Emma just wanted this to end.  The pain was too much.  She did not want to feel it anymore.  How could she not feel it anymore?  Her heart raced with all the emotions running through her.  That’s it.  Her heart.  The realization quickly dried her tears as she forced herself to sit upright.  Emma placed her right hand over the left side of her chest.  Would it even come out?  Cora had tried to take her heart once, but it failed.  There was only one way to find out.  She inhaled sharply as her hand plunged into her own chest.  Emma’s fingertips brushed against the organ before she grasped it tightly.  A pained expression washed over her face as she tugged on her heart.  It was going to give her fight, but she struggled and began slowly removing from her body what made her The Savior.  She howled in agony and almost gave up when it seemed like the pain was too much, but she was so close.  With one final jerk, Emma removed the bright pulsing heart from her chest.  The power from the magical beating organ whipped up a wind in the room that caused a few of her blonde locks to tickle her face.  An abrupt and strong pulse blasted from the ball of light sitting in her palm.  It was strong enough to knock Emma backwards and shatter the windows in the room._

_The pulse continued throughout Stroybrooke, causing the clock above the library to stop, but it did not stop at the town’s line.  Throughout the rest of that day, news stations reported strange occurrences all over the world._

* * *

 

Mary Margaret remained seated on the stairs outside, sick with worry.  The wolf had told her to go on after the King and she would be ok, but that didn’t change the fact that she still felt guilty for leaving her behind.  Ruby should have shown up by now.  Snow played with a few strands of her hair.  She had grown her hair out to the length it had been before Regina’s curse.  A short, almost inaudible laugh came from her throat as she thought about that particular curse.  That one had been a blessing compare to what was happening now.  Soldiers around the world fought various monsters and dragons with M-16s while certain people awoke to find themselves empowered with magic they had idea how to control, nor explain.   Cities had become warzones and the only safe havens were places in seclusion and off the grid.  Most people outside Storybrooke believed the world was in the end times.  At least Regina had not done this.  The sickening realization was that it was Snow’s own daughter, The Savior, who had brought the world to its knees.

Inside the cottage, a different war was being waged.  Regina had an index finger pointed at the outlaw, anger written across her features.  “Give me one good reason why I should not smite you right now!” she exclaimed as Emma’s hand on her shoulder pulled her back.  Regina had seen what became of the woman she had fallen in love with.  It was then, when she finally saw the King, that she realized just how much Emma had needed her.  Maybe Regina wasn’t the one who needed saving anymore.  Everyone had been so consumed with finding their own happy endings and pushing The Savior to find them that they never stopped to ask, ‘What about Emma’s happy ending?’

“Because I would not kill you, Regina!” Robin exploded back, “I bloody loved you, and still do!”

“Until you’re swayed into believing that I murdered your wife, right?!” Regina shouted, struggling to push towards him; however, Emma held her back.

“Hey, hey!” the blonde yelled as she wrapped her arms around Regina’s and pulled her away, “Enough of this!”  She turned Regina to face her and put a gentle hand on her cheek.  Emma stared into those beautiful dark eyes and watched as her Queen’s expression softened.  “We don’t kill, remember?” she whispered, “It’s going to be ok.  We are going to figure this out, alright?” 

Regina’s eyes shut and she pressed her forehead to Emma’s before giving a breathy reply of, “Ok.”  As much as she was Emma’s control, The Savior was the same for Regina.  A small smile formed on her lips when she felt the blonde’s pink lips gently peck her own.

“You mentioned that there was a new curse on this land?” Gold spoke up, locking his eyes on Avalon, who gave him a nod.

“Not just this land,” the older Charming replied, “The whole world.”  He gazed down at his leg with guilt, remembering the day that this curse infected the planet.  Maybe there was more he could have done?

* * *

 

_David was locking up the station when Emma returned.  He heard the sound of the yellow beetle’s door shut and spun around.  “Em,” he breathed, “You’re back.  Is something wrong?”  Something seemed off with his daughter.  He had an unsettling feeling, especially after that pulse earlier in the day.  So many calls had flooded in when it happened.  David had gone all over town, except for the Swan-Mills manor, trying to figure out the cause, but could not find one.  Perhaps it had just been some fairies experimenting with something magical.  However, that’s when the news reports start talking about unexplainable strange events around the world.  Emma ignored her father and walked past him, a glint of red light flickering in her eyes.  David noticed it and grabbed her arm firmly, stopping the woman in her tracks.  “Emma, what are you doing?” he gasped._

_Without a word of reply, Emma jerked her arm away and then swung it at her father.  A wind of magical energy came off the arm and David went flying into the yellow bug.  He smashed into the hood and shattered the windshield painfully.  The blonde threw a hand out at the door of the station and obliterated.  Shards of glass and metal shrapnel exploded everywhere._

_Still trying to recover, David held a hand up to shield his face from the explosion.  He yelled out in pain when a sharp pain ignited in his right thigh.  The man glanced down to see a large piece of metal jutting out of his leg, which was bleeding profusely.  He reached down with one hand and gripped onto the strip of metal, and even though it sliced into his fingers, he swiftly pulled it out with a guttural cry.  David made the agonizing effort of getting up to follow Emma into the station.  He stumbled and fell several times before propping himself up against a wall in the station.  The loss of blood was slowly beginning to sap him of his energy.  In the back of his mind, he feared an artery in his leg was torn and he was beginning to bleed out, but he forced the thought away.  “Emma!” David hollered as he got closer to the room that contained the cells, “Emma!  Whatever you’re thinking, we can get through this!”  His vision blurred ever so slightly and he reached into a pocket for his cell phone before pressing Mary Margaret’s picture.  Hopefully, his wife would get there in time to get some help before he bled out.  Just as he entered the room, the phone slipped from David’s fingers from shock at the sight before him._

_Emma had a hand stuck inside William Scarlet’s chest.  She ripped his heart out without a second thought, her nostrils flared, and a snarl on her face.  Following a pained expression, the prisoner’s mouth gaped.  His back arched in distress as the woman before him began applying pressure to his heart.  “All you had to do was tell me where he was,” Emma spoke with an eerily calm tone, “Now because of you, all of his men will die.”  She thrust the heart in front of him, forcing him to watch as she slowly crushed it into dust._

_David was too late.  He should have followed her home earlier that day.  His daughter had become lost to the darkness and now The Savior needed saving.  His vision went completely black before his body hit the cold floor, Snow’s voice crying out his name from the phone he landed next to._

* * *

 

“What happened to your leg?” the younger Charming inquired, nodding to the limb in question.

“I don’t wanna talk about it,” his older self replied monotonously.

“You might want to get a cane,” Gold suggested before turning to stare out a window, “I believe I might know why this place is cursed.”

“Oh, look at that,” Hook chimed in, “The Crocodile knows everything, yet again.”

“That’s why he’s here,” Robin said with a glare at the pirate before looking to Rumpel, “So, what is it?”

All eyes turned to look at the back of Gold’s head.  After a moment, he turned with a sly smirk on his lips.  “I believe this world has heartless Savior on their hands,” the imp answered.

Before anyone had the chance to react, Ruby’s name was screeched by the woman who sat waiting outside.  The older David’s head snapped to the door as he rose quickly and limped to open it.  He saw his wife rushing forward to throw her arms around a certain former waitress.  A relieved smile crept on his lips.

“Oh my god,” Mary Margaret whimpered, hugging Ruby tightly, “I’ve been so worried about you!  Where have you been?!”

The wolf returned her friend’s hug before pulling back to look her in the eye, hands on both of Snow’s arms.  “I followed some of the King’s men back to the castle.  I found a way in,” she spilled with excitement, “Let’s go in and tell David!”

“That’s,” Snow started hesitantly, “fantastic…but…um.”

“What’s wrong?” Ruby asked in a confused tone.

Mary Margaret gulped, took a breath, and replied, “Ava went to the past…and she brought some people back with her to try and help us with our situation…and…”

The wolf shook the woman gently, urging her to go on.  “And?”

“ _He_ is inside,” Snow replied with her eyes shut, fearing her friend’s reaction, which she assumed would be a sorrowful one.

Ruby’s hands fell from Snow’s arms and she took a step back, faltering.  She felt her heart breaking all over again.  “I-I’ll be fine,” she lied.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so happy that you all are getting excited about what's next. Thank you all for the kind comments. Also, I've been trying to keep myself from getting writers block by writing short SwanQueen drabbles for prompts given to me. They aren't posted here, but if any of you have any ideas, shoot them to me and perhaps I shall post them here. Thank you all for reading!

It had been decided that they would use Ruby’s information to sneak into the King’s castle.  The King’s men shouldn’t be a problem with everyone’s skills.  This time, Henry would listen to his moms and actually stay put.  However, they needed to get one thing out of the way first.  The day before, when the wolf had returned, Emma set out to prove that she could in fact ride a horse.  Her attempts to even get on the beast proved futile.  Regina had giggled at her lover, which only earned her a glare. 

Avalon entered the guest room where Regina had been changing into a more comfortable outfit to go riding in which included a dark pair of tight fitting jeans and a shirt that could not be seen due to the maroon pea coat.  She was pulling her dark locks into a short pony tail when Ava walked in.  Her future daughter handed over a pair of knee high brown leather boots. 

“I figured you might need these, too,” Ava said as she made the exchange.  She had loaned Regina all of the clothing.  “They’re made just for riding,” she continued.

Regina took them with care and looked Avalon over before speaking, “You seem to know my tastes so well, yet you flock to Emma’s sense of fashion.  Where did you get all of these things?”

Bluish-green eyes locked with Regina’s dark ones for a moment before peering down at their feet.  “I kept a lot of my mom’s things after…” she answered, but then trailed off, not wanting to finish the sentence.  After all of these years, it was still painful to talk about it.  It should have been easier, but the King made the world an everyday living memory out of a single dreadful moment.

Regina saw the hurt in Ava’s eyes and felt a pang of guilt, remembering the way she felt when Cora died.  No matter how evil that woman had been, she had still been Regina’s mother, and she loved her.  “I’m sorry,” she said softly, “I understand how that must have been.  I can’t imagine what it must be like with me being here.”

“I was so young when it happened,” Ava said barely above a whisper as she swiveled her gaze back to Regina, “But I still remember every detail to this day.”

A hand reached out and rested on Avalon’s shoulder gently.  Caring dark eyes inspected those familiar facial features that a parent saw in a child.  “You can talk to me about it if you need to,” Regina whispered.  A simple nod from the other woman was all Regina needed to pull her to sit side by side on the bed.  Avalon began recounting that day to Regina.

* * *

_She had just gotten out of school and was skipping happily home, a huge grin on her face.  Avalon could not wait to get home because Mom would be taking her to her horse riding lessons today.  She loved spending time with Regina and they had a close bond.  No doubt she enjoyed spending time with Emma too, but when Avalon’s powers had manifested at a rather young age, Regina had been the one to teach her how to hone those abilities and control them.  Ava knew that she was never to use magic unless absolutely necessary such as in self-defense in a life-threatening situation._

_As she reached the doorstep, Ava felt a chill run down her spine with an uneasy feeling.  Only being ten years old, she did not know what to make of the sudden sensation.  Shrugging it off, she swung the door open to her home.  Closing it shut, she dropped her backpack by the staircase before prancing further into the house in search of her mother._

_“Mom! I’m home!” she announced with that child-like innocence.  Only being answered with silence, that mysterious unease formed in the pit of her stomach again._

_Ava began walking through the halls in search of her mom.  She finally found her laying on the leather couch in the living room.  Small feet padded towards her mother.  Ava simply thought she was taking a nap, which was strange because she wasn’t the type to nap on a couch.  She put a hand on Regina’s arm and shook her gently.  “Hey mom,” she said, “I have riding lessons today.  Time to get up.”  There was no response.  Perhaps she was just really tired, although her arm felt ice cold.  Another push still rendered nothing.  “Come on, Mom, get up,” Ava said with a bit more volume, yet nothing registered from the woman.  A sudden panic leaped through the child’s now racing heart.  “Mom!  MOMMY!” she screamed as she shook Regina violently.  Sobs and tears followed as she rushed to the nearest phone and immediately dialed the police station._

_“Momma!” she shouted frantically into the receiver as Emma answered.  After allowing the other woman to speak she answered with, “It’s Mom!  She won’t wake up, Momma!”  Her words became a jumbled mess as she just let the phone drop before walking back to the couch.  Avalon lied atop of her mother, curling up into a ball, sobbing, “Mom, please get up…please get up.”_

* * *

Tears streaked down Regina’s olive cheeks as she held Ava, who was crying, in a tight embrace.  She rocked the woman back and forth gently while stroking her hair.  “I’m so sorry, sweetheart,” Regina whispered softly into Ava’s dark hair, “We will change all of this…I promise.”  She noticed a movement out of the corner of her eye and turned her head ever so slightly to see Emma standing in the doorway with a worried expression.  Regina lifted her head up and shook it, giving the indication that now was not the time.  The blonde tilted her head forward in recognition and quietly stepped back out.

Emma’s boots clunked into Avalon’s room where Henry was sitting, reading a book he had pulled off a shelf.  The boy knew he would be stuck here this time around so he needed a way to keep from getting bored, and there were no comic books, nor video games here.  He lifted his head to see his mother, returning the smile she gave him. 

“Hey, you ok, kid?” Emma asked while taking a seat next to him.

Henry closed the book and answered, “Yeah, just trying to keep my mind busy.”

The blonde’s eyes inspected the book in her son’s hands.  It was old, worn, and tattered, the binding leather similar to the Once Upon a Time book Henry used to cling so tightly to.  The title on the cover was almost completely worn away, the words illegible.  “What are you reading?” she asked softly.

“Grimm’s Fairytales,” he replied with a small laugh, “These guys got so many things wrong.”

With a chuckle, Emma cracked a smile and said, “I’ll say, but that’s the thing about stories.  There’s more than one side to every story.  I mean, look at Regina.  The Evil Queen wasn’t so evil after all.”

“Yeah, I feel kinda bad,” he said with a guilty tone.

“Why?”

“Because you were the only one who actually saw that,” Henry answered, looking up to Emma, “If you hadn’t, I don’t think any of us would have, not even me.  I’m glad you did.”

“What do you mean?  Snow White saw it,” Emma implied.

Henry shook his head gently before averting his eyes, a thoughtful expression appearing on his face.  “No, I think she only tried to see it because she knew her beforehand, but after so much had happened, she stopped believing there was any good left in the Evil Queen.”

His mother remained silent for a moment, taking in the words and running them through her mind.  “I don’t think it’s a matter of good or evil.  When it comes down to it, we are all human, magic or not.  Everyone has the potential for good and evil,” she explained, the current situation weighing heavy on her mind, “Even me…”

The teenaged boy gave an agreeing nod before saying, “And me, apparently.”  Henry sighed and stared down at the book in his hands, worry in his mind.  He felt a hand rest over one of his own and he gazed back at the woman next to him.  “You’ll save her, right?” he questioned.

“Who?  Regina?” Emma answered with a question, “Of course I will.”

A smile brightened up his face and he replied with a laugh, “No.  You already saved her by loving her.  I meant the King.”

The blonde certainly had her doubts.  Emma didn’t know if there was any possible way of saving her future self without killing her.  Just imagining her life without Regina made her feel dangerous emotions.  She knew that if she couldn’t figure out a way of preventing the woman’s death, she would certainly go mad.  “I don’t know,” Emma replied hesitantly, “But I will certainly try.”

Henry accepted that answer.  He knew the burden placed on his mother since her birth from reading the pages of his book.  He knew it wasn’t an easy burden to carry.  “Do me a favor.  While you’re saving everyone else’s happy endings, don’t forget about your own.”

Emma smiled and wrapped an arm around her son’s shoulders, hugging him gently.  His words had touched her heart.  Henry was growing up so fast.  The boy had amazing insight from the beginning, but he was getting better at explaining what he thought.  She kissed the top of his head and said, “I love you, kid.”

“I love you, too, Mom,” he said, leaning into her.  “So, when did you start having feelings for her?”

“Hah, God, I don’t know,” the blonde told him, “I can’t really remember.  I knew I was attracted to her when I first met her.  Maybe that’s why I had such a hard time believing she was the Evil Queen.  I think it may have been when I realized she really did love you.”

“When was that?”

“When she almost killed you with an apple turnover,” Emma recounted, “I saw it in her eyes.  That’s when I really knew she was capable of love.”

“Why didn’t you ever say anything to me?”

“Well, I wasn’t completely sure of myself,” she answered with a laugh, “For a while, I thought I was going completely insane.  Besides, that’s not really something you wanna tell your kid.  ‘Hey son, I’m pretty sure I’m in love with the woman who you think is evil.’”  They both burst into laughter at the comment.

* * *

After many failed attempts, Emma was finally able to mount the chestnut painted horse.  She felt like a fool because it looked so easy when Regina had done it.  Emma was quite physically fit, so it shouldn’t have been an issue.  She didn’t expect to feel like she was so high off the ground and it was a little disorienting. 

“So, how do you make this thing go?” Emma asked with breath of fog.  “Like this?” she said before digging a heel into the beast’s side. 

Before Regina could get out, “No, don’t do that!” the horse had reared off the ground before taking off down the trail in a hasty gallop.  She did the same to her own steed and bolted for her love.

Somehow, Emma managed to stay atop the horse when it reared.  Nothing prepared her for how rough the ride of a galloping horse was.  “Regina!” she yelled out, “What do I do?!”  There was no time for the older woman to answer before Emma lost her balance and slid to the side, promptly falling off the horse.  A snow-covered thorn bush on the side of the trail broke her fall. 

“Emma!” Regina cried out as she watched the blonde hit the ground.  Thankfully, the horse had been well-trained to come to a halt whenever its rider fell off, and Regina would not have to chase it down.  She pulled on the reigns to stop the dark horse she was riding and immediately jumped down, rushing to Emma.

A pained whine came from Emma as she rolled out of the bush.  Fortunately, she had been wearing a blue leather jacket she borrowed from Ava since hers had been ripped to shreds.  She was pretty sure the jacket actually belonged to the King once.  “Ugh,” she groaned, “Do we have to do this?”

Regina held a hand out, relief flooding her when she realized the woman had not been seriously injured.  “Really, Sheriff Swan, you shouldn’t do anything without my instruction,” she scolded in her typical mayoral tone.

“You’d think with me being The Savior and all, riding a horse would come to me naturally,” Emma huffed as she let Regina pull her up.

The older woman rolled her dark eyes and quipped back, “Well aren’t you the overly self-confident and cocky one.  You think it just came to me in five minutes?”

“I don’t know,” Emma bickered back, “I’ve never even seen you ride one until today.”

“You know, thinking that you can do everything is another sign of narcissism,” Regina snipped.

“Says the one obsessed with mirrors,” Emma retorted brazenly.

Regina placed both hands on her hips, stepping in closer to the blonde, their faces inches from each other.  Her perfectly sculpted eyebrows drew together with a grave expression painted on her face.  “We can do this _my_ way,” she began, a serious tone in her husky voice, “or you can keep falling off the horse until you _actually_ hurt yourself.”

The Savior abruptly leaned in capturing her Queen’s lips with her own, earning a silent gasp of shock from the other woman.  They broke from each other and Emma whispered, “You have no idea what it does to me when you talk to me like that.”

One corner of the brunette’s lips turned up and she cocked an eyebrow.  “Oh, I know,” she admitted in a seductive sort of way.  She leaned past Emma’s shoulder and rasped in her ear, “I take pleasure in watching you get worked up.”

Emma fought to hold back a primal moan trying to bring itself from her throat due to the older woman’s tone of voice.  She wondered if Regina realized how much control she had over her.  A shaky breath escaped her lips as Regina pulled back.  “Ok,” she gave in, “We’ll do it your way.”


	13. Chapter 13

The leather cuffs had been strapped onto his wrists agonizingly tight so that every time he struggled against them, they would dig into his flesh.  Chains led from the cuffs to the ceiling of his dungeon cell, spreading his arms out and above him.  Neal’s feet were about six inches off the ground and after the first night, he feared his arms would pull from their sockets.  Now, he almost wished his arms would just fall off.  Dried up blood caked a large gash in his right temple.  His bottom lip had been busted right in the center.  Black hair had been a mess for days and stubble had grown on his dirty face.  His leather cuirass had a large gash in the chest, the flesh beneath sliced open.  It was the most recent wound.  Every night since they had been captured, he listened to the cries and howls of the tortured.  Some of those cries belonged to his friends.  Neal had a view of the night sky from the barred opening in the wall of his cell and he saw a blessing in the moon.  It was full. 

He groaned at the sound of footsteps accompanied by metal clanking together coming towards his cell.  The King pushed her face through the bars slightly with a monotonous, “Boo,” with an evil smirk to follow.

“What do you want to do to me now, sis?” he grumbled while glaring at the woman who brought the world to its knees.  Whatever Avalon was doing, he wished she would hurry up.  He wondered if she were even still alive.  Of course she was.  The King had no intention of killing her daughter, and Neal knew this.  Ava was the only part of Regina that the evil ruler still had.

Emma cocked a brow, the one above her patch, before opening the door to her younger brother’s cell.  She entered and crossed her armored arms.  “I need someone to bring me my daughter,” she told him, her one eye narrowing, “And our sweet mother has decided it should be you by taking a shot at me.  It’s funny just how ‘Charming’ of a family we are, isn’t it?”

Neal focused on the long scar that extended down from the woman’s hidden eye socket, remembering it was his own doing.  It had been the first of many fights between the two of them.  Emma could have healed the wound completely, but she had become the type to wear her scars openly to show others what she had survived.  “Why do you want her so badly?” he questioned, “Everything you’re doing…it won’t bring Regina back.”

Rage flared through Emma and her eye lit up a blazing red.  A quick step forward and a hand had buried deep in Neal’s chest.  “Don’t you _ever_ say her name!” she shouted blisteringly, “You have _no_ right to mention my Queen’s name!”

His head flung back, eyes clenched shut, as he bared his teeth while pain flooded each and every one of his senses.  The heart was torn from his chest as a yelp escaped his throat.  Neal panted, peering at his sister through squinted eyelids.  “There is no more Savior left in you,” he murmured, “No more Emma.”

The red in Emma’s one eye faded as she snapped her fingers, allowing her brother to hit the floor beneath him with a thud.  Her lips curled up in a dark smile as she knelt down to him, gripping the hair on the back of his head to force him to face her.  “That’s one thing you’re right about, little brother,” the King whispered, venom dripping in her voice, “Emma died with Regina.”

* * *

The mirrors surrounded her and she watched every dark moment of the Evil King’s reign.  What once was her strength had become her vice.  She was trapped and held as a prisoner, her enchanted shackles stripped her of all power.  Every day that had gone by for the past twenty years, the monster she once tamed inside grew stronger and stronger.  Fortunately, time had stopped and the two decades did not leave their mark on her complexion.  The beast within swore that if she ever found a way to break these cuffs, blood would spill.  Before her eyes, the King ripped Neal’s heart out.  A scream erupted from the base of her throat and she held the metal wrapped around her wrists together, slinging her hands into each and every mirror around her.  Crimson drops stained the floor and the shards of her reflection that fell to it.  This had become a routine and the scars on her hands were proof.  Salty, hot tears flooded from her caramel eyes as she dropped to her knees, hanging her head in exhaustion and defeat.  The dark hair, which was now almost to the end of her spine, covered her face. 

“Why do you keep doing this?” a hoarse sob escaped.  The question was a pointless one since she had asked it so many times now, receiving the same answer every time.  She shuddered when a hand wrapped around the front of her neck from behind, gripping her harshly.

The other woman looked like she could have been related to the prisoner with her dark eyes, dark hair, and tan skin.  Her jaw pressed into the prisoner’s temple rather hard, bearing her teeth in a wicked smile.  “Because your happy ending was supposed to be mine,” she growled through her teeth, “But she lied to me.  So now neither one of you will get your happy ending.”  An evil cackle was forced into her prisoner’s ear.  “It’s only a matter of time now that the King is in turmoil due to seeing her Queen of the past,” she whispered, eyes widening in delight, “The window is opening and in the end, you will have watched your precious King fall into complete darkness and meet an agonizing death.”

The prisoner’s lips pursed and her brows furrowed in rage before she jerked her head to the side and slammed it into her captor’s cheek.  “I swear,” her husky dark voice threatened, nostrils flaring, “ _When_ I get out of here, I will destroy you if it’s the last thing I do.”

The captor reeled back as the taste of iron flooded her mouth.  It was only for a brief moment though as her smile returned, this time filled with blood from the inside of her cheek.  It started as a giggle and expanded into an evil laugh as she grabbed her prisoner’s long almost black hair.  She forced their eyes to meet while placing a hand on her throat, black nails digging into the olive flesh.  Crazed brown eyes stared into the prisoner’s.  “Yes, that’s exactly what I like to see.  Let the evil out.”

* * *

Emma and Regina decided to take a break before heading back to the cottage.  It didn’t take long for The Savior to get used to riding a horse; she just needed to listen to Regina in the first place.  They ended up at the breathtaking view of a snowy valley before them.  The brunette admired the scenery with crossed arms.  A startled flinch rolled through her shoulders when two arms wrapped around her waist from behind.  Her frame became rigid when Emma’s body pressed against her back.  This was not something she was used to, but she melted into the blonde’s form quickly.  It was definitely something Regina could get used to.  “I forgot how beautiful it gets out here when it snows,” she spoke quietly.

“It’s not as beautiful as you,” Emma replied, which only made Regina roll her eyes, “Yeah, I know, it’s corny.”

“You’re an idiot,” Regina prodded before sighing, “But I love you.”

The blonde squeezed the woman in her arms gently, kissing the back of her neck.  “I love you, too,” Emma replied.

A chill ran down Regina’s spine from the kiss and she leaned further into Emma’s embrace.  “You’re walking on thin ice, dear,” she warned.

“If you’re worried about me _falling_ in love with you, it’s already happened,” the blonde almost couldn’t finish her sentence because she was giggling at the absurdity of the whole thing.

Turning around in her Savior’s arms, Regina straightened out the collar of Emma’s jacket, forcing her eyes to look anywhere but into those greenish eyes.  “You’re killing me with these comments,” she said with that smile that one rarely saw.  It wasn’t forced or faked, and it was nothing but genuine happiness.  A thumb stroked Emma’s jawline as Regina couldn’t hold herself from looking into The Savior’s eyes.  “Yet, I think that’s why I find you so charming,” Regina finished, the last word slipping out before she could catch it.  Emma’s lips went tight from trying not to burst into laughter, but the slightest snicker fell out.  _Damn it, I cannot believe she made me use that obscenity_ , the Queen thought.

A well-deserved jab to the side from her lover was all it took for the laughter to flow from Emma.  She was happy to see Regina laughing as well.  That sound was music to her ears.  Emma had felt love before, but not like this.  Nothing else had felt as fulfilling as this did and she never expected for this woman, who she was supposed to bring down, to make her feel this way.  Was this what True Love felt like?  Now she could understand why her parents were sometimes disgustingly sappy.  Regina made Emma feel that way.  “Thank you,” Emma whispered sincerely.

Regina’s eyes fluttered in slight confusion, quirking a brow.  “For what?” she asked.

“Everything,” Emma answered the look of awe in her eyes, “I never thought I would say this, but I am actually glad you cast that stupid curse.  If you hadn’t…well for one thing, you would be a hell of a lot older than me, but more importantly…I, no, we probably wouldn’t have Henry, and I wouldn’t have you.”

“But Emma,” Regina breathed, shaking her head while stroking a lock of blonde hair, “I practically made you an orphan.  How could you love me for that?”

She saw the tears welling up in Regina’s eyes, reaching up in time to catch one from falling.  “It’s in the past, and I probably wouldn’t be who I am now without it.  I can understand why you did what you did.  I mean, hell, look at what future me did,” Emma explained, the thought of losing Regina terrifying the hell out of her, “I love you for your past, present, and future.  I love both the Evil Queen and Regina Mills.  I can honestly say that you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me.  Together, we’ve found balance.  So, yeah, thank you…for everything.”

Regina began openly sobbing, burying her forehead into Emma’s neck.  No one else could have ever brought her to tears like this.  She felt so vulnerable, yet so completely safe at the same time.  The Savior gave her everything she could have ever asked for, which was love and acceptance of her failures.  “You love me even after all the terrible things I have done and all of the suffering I’ve put you and your family through,” she wept before looking up to Emma, “You must be my true soulmate and not that babbling idiot with a tattoo.”  The end of the remark was made dryly.  She couldn’t even remember why she had a thing for the outlaw.  Perhaps it was because she saw Emma smiling with the pirate all the time and assumed she was happy with him.  Maybe it was due to the fact that losing Emma made her want to find the least bit of pleasure and solace anywhere she could possibly find it.  It would not have been the first time Regina had gone to the extreme and likely not be the last seeing as how she’d fallen for the last person anyone expected.  On the outside, Emma and Regina could not be more opposite, but when it came down to their humanity, they were very much the same.  That common bond they shared had become their center weight on the scale of Yin and Yang.

* * *

The Dark One had not received an order from his master for quite some time now.  In fact, Henry had felt that the King hadn’t even touched the dagger all day.  If he really wanted to, he could go steal the dagger back for himself.  The only thing stopping him was that he had tried so many times in the past, only to fail every attempt.  This was due to the fact that whenever his mother set the dagger down, she placed it into an enchanted box and only her magic could undo the enchantment.  Henry hated what he had become all because of a loss in clarity years ago.  The dream of advancing to the status of hero was shattered a few days after Regina had died. 

_Dark thoughts clouded his judgment as the wavy dagger lay before him.  So torn by the fact he had lost something that could not be replaced, Henry assumed his grandfather had something to do with it.  After all, Rumpelstiltskin had been the master manipulator of many peoples’ fates.  Surely the imp got something out of destroying his family.  Then, the revelation hit him.  All the reports from around the world began to make sense.  Ever since Emma tore her own heart out, people had been able to cross the town line without consequence.  It meant magic was possible throughout the entire planet.  It meant Gold could leave town and do what he pleased with magic._

_A throaty growl escaped Henry’s throat as a treacherous emotion he’d never felt before escaped the pit of his stomach.  He rubbed his chin nervously, stubble grazing his calloused palm.  They had been a happy family for a little over a decade.  Everything had been more or less calm for those years.  Had Gold been scheming all this time?  In Henry’s mind, the answer was yes.  His fingertips brushed the textured letters on the dagger.  Would he betray Gold’s trust in him?  Only two knew where or how to get to the dagger.  That was Henry and Belle, the two people he thought would never use it against him.  How wrong the imp was._

_The door behind him jingled open and his hand quickly gripped the dagger before burying it into the inside of his coat.  Henry turned to see his younger sister standing in front of the closing door.  “Ava, what are you doing here?” he asked, “I thought you were with Mary Margaret.”_

_“Grandma is really good about losing children,” she replied in all seriousness, not even realizing the irony in her statement, “She was tending to Grandpa’s wound and I just wanted to get away for a while.”_

_The man understood all too well what his younger sibling was going through.  Between his father’s death and losing Regina, he had now gone through this loss two times too many.  Henry got down on one knee before Avalon and pulled her into a gentle embrace.  “I understand,” he rasped, “I used to do the same thing when I was about your age.”  A small smile graced his lips when his sister returned the hug.  He understood now why so many people told him to stop growing up so fast because his little sister was doing the same.  He pulled away and looked her in the eye before saying, “There’s something I want to give you.  It’s something that helped me in rough times.”  With the plan running through his mind, Henry knew he would not get the chance to be a protective big brother, so he had to give her something that would guide her._

_“What is it?” Ava inquired as she followed her brother to the backroom of Gold’s shop._

_He reached into a box and pulled out a large leather bound book, blowing the dust off it.  “You know those bedtime stories Moms used to tell you when you were younger?” Henry asked as he brought the book to her._

_“Yeah,” she answered, taking the book in her hands, “They’re stories to teach us about the price of magic.  They’re fairytales.”_

_Henry let out a short laugh and grinned.  “That may be true, but the stories are also true,” he told Ava, “This book contains all of those stories you were told and every single one of them actually happened in real life.  You weren’t supposed to learn until you were older and only gradually…but circumstances have changed.”_

_Ava blinked and looked from the book to her brother, confused.  “What do you mean?”_

_“This is your heritage,” he answered, “But you must know that there are always many sides to every story.  What you believe is your choice.  Also, never forget that no one is completely evil and no one is all good.  The world is not black and white.”_

_“Why are you telling me this?” Worry filled Avalon’s voice._

_A hand cupped Ava’s cheek and Henry gave the last smile he would ever give to his sister.  “I want you to be ok.”_

Was there a way for Henry to redeem himself?  Regina had done it, but how could he do it if his control was not his own?  An idea struck him and Henry found himself running toward the King’s chambers.  He could indeed save himself.  He just needed to get the box to Emma.  Not the King, but Emma.  It didn’t matter if she was not the same one.  All that mattered was that the magic was the same.  He blasted the doors of the King’s bed chambers down, feeling the dagger call his name, following its essence until he had nearly torn everything in the room down.  The box was now in his hands and Henry felt the power of the dagger pulsing.  He took pause, swallowing thickly as he concentrated on not losing himself to that power. 

“What the hell are you doing?” the King’s voice rang out behind him, a sword extended out to the Dark One. 

His mouth widened in an evil grin.  Henry didn’t bother to turn and face her.  “Stopping you,” he simply answered before vanishing in a black puff of smoke.

“HENRY!”


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for the awesome comments! You guys make my day so much better and my writing so much more worthwhile. So, when I started writing this chapter, I had a lot more in mind, but it was going to end up being the length of two chapters, so I split it. Good thing is, the next chapter shouldn’t be too far away. I hope you guys like it!
> 
> Also, I want it to be known that I am willing to listen to and consider suggestions. So, feel free to give me ideas and suggestions. Don’t be afraid. I don’t bite. The worst that could happen is I don’t use it.

Horse riding lessons were over, but instead of returning to the cottage, Emma and Regina had returned to a camp everyone had decided to set up.  If the King intended to return for their lives, at least she wouldn’t find them in the same place.  Though the thought of sleeping in the woods made Regina cringe, it would not have been the first time she had done so.  For Emma, it wasn’t a big deal since the blonde had once spent part of her life living in her yellow bug.  As for the others, they were all quite adept, especially Robin Hood, at living and sleeping in the forest due to their origins.  The party agreed it would be a good idea to have all tents spaced far apart so it would be easy to scramble out in separate directions should any of the King’s men show up.  The Savior was thankful for this, though for different reasons.  She and the Queen had grown quite fond of each other in the past few days, and even though the blonde knew she should be more focused on the situation at hand, all she could think of at the moment was how to get the former mayor to let her taste her _forbidden fruit_.

Emma finished helping Hook put more wood on the fire.  The pirate plopped down on a log and prodded the fire with a long stick.  He would be standing watch for a few hours until it was David’s turn, and then Ruby’s.  Snow and the older David took Henry to Granny’s compound (yes, compound), which no one knew about except themselves and Ruby, knowing they would be safe until this whole ordeal was over with.  Emma dusted her hands and legs off before turning to head towards her tent where she knew the woman she craved was waiting for her.

“Not even a goodnight kiss, Swan?” the pirate called out, stopping Emma in her tracks.

She turned around slowly with an unamused expression.  “Really, Killian?”

Hook beamed a teasing smile at the blonde before his expression turned more earnest.  “You really love her, don’t you?” he asked sincerely.  He wasn’t trying to make her feel guilty in any way.  Killian genuinely cared about Emma and even though the man he used to be wouldn’t have accepted the rejection, he wanted her to be happy.  He knew there would be other fish in the sea, so to speak. 

“Yeah, I do,” Emma replied with one eyebrow cocked, “Why are you asking?”

“No reason.  I just wanted to make sure you were content with your decision,” he said, averting his eyes.

“I am,” she spoke, “And thank you.”

“For what?”

“For being understanding,” Emma explained, fidgeting with her fingers.  She did in fact feel a little twinge of guilt for abruptly dumping him the way she did.  Killian was in no way what one would call a gentleman.  He was crude and immature for the most part, but that’s just who he was.  Those qualities didn’t stop him from being one of the good guys instead of a villain, and Emma could respect that.  “And for being my friend,” she finished.

“I know what it’s like to be in love, Swan,” Hook stated, “Honestly, I was in love with you.  I think I still might be, but…I have also learned that sometimes when you love someone, you have to let them go.”

Emma gave him a small smile and nodded before saying, “Well, a _devilishly handsome_ man like you won’t be alone for too long.”

“No, I should think not,” he said through a small chuckle, “I think I will be hanging around the diner more when we get back.  There’s a certain waitress who I believe has taken interest in me.”

“Ruby?” she questioned, receiving a curt nod from the pirate, “Really?  I haven’t noticed.”

“Maybe not back in our time, but here…the wolf of this timeline keeps gazing at me with longing eyes,” Hook explained before looking at the fire with sorrowful eyes, “I get the feeling that here, I am no longer living.  She stares at me, but avoids me like the plague.”

“Well, maybe I can set you two up,” Emma replied, “Rubes and I are good friends, and come to think about it, you two would complement each other pretty well.”

“Really?  You’d do that for me?”

“It’s the least I could do.”

“Sounds like a plan,” he said with a smile, “You probably shouldn’t keep your woman waiting.  I get the sense that you two are…well…y’know.”

“Haha, right,” Emma laughed, “Goodnight, Hook.”

“G’night, Swan.”

The Savior waltzed to the tent she shared with Regina and when she entered, she was amazed by what she saw.  The inside of the tent was bigger than the outside; the Queen’s doing of course.  Regina had even conjured up a king-sized four post bed.  A dark cherry stain covered the wooden frame, which had intricate carvings on the posts.  The bed was made with apple red silk sheets, black pillows, and a black duvet.  What Emma found even more amazing was the fact that Regina was laying on top of the covers donning a royal purple see-through baby doll with golden lace trim and a matching thong.  The blonde froze in place, her jaw dropping in awe.  Had she been holding anything in her hands, she would have dropped that, too.

“Wow,” Emma rasped in wonder.  _I can’t wait to rip those off of her_ , she thought.

“At a loss for words, Miss Swan?” Regina mused with a sly smile.  She loved catching The Savior off guard because it drove the blonde mad.  When there was no change in expression from Emma, she spoke again, “Well don’t just stand there, sweetheart.  Your Queen requests an audience with you.”

“Regina, aren’t you worried about the others hearing us?” Emma finally found words.

The Queen sat up straight with a glare.  “That’s _Your Majesty_ ,” she demanded, “And quite honestly, I don’t care.  How _dare_ you _question_ your Queen?”

With a thick swallow, Emma fell into her role before answering, “I apologize, my Queen.  I meant no disrespect.”  She walked to the edge of the large bed and bowed her head. 

Regina’s hand reached out quickly to grasp Emma’s collar, forcing her to lean forward.  They were face to face, and the Queen’s eyes danced all around the blonde’s face in the same way they did the day that Emma had cut a branch off her apple tree.  “I think you can show more respect than just bowing your head,” the older woman quipped, “Perhaps you can start by getting down on your knees, Savior.”  Regina placed both hands on Emma’s shoulders and pushed down until the blonde was kneeling down at the side of the bed.  “There. _That’s_ better,” she said as she looked down, “Now, are you going to be a good girl and do as your Queen tells you?”

With her head bowed again, Emma answered obediently, “Yes, Your Majesty.  Anything you desire.”

“Excellent,” the Queen said, sounding quite pleased, “Now that I have your word that you’ll do as I say, you won’t be in need of these anymore.”  With a flick of her hand, Emma was stripped of everything but her red bra and matching panties.  Regina enjoyed the fact that Emma was so willing to hand complete power over to her.  She would be perfectly content if The Savior was not ok with it because she loved Emma.  Yet, it made things a lot more fun and interesting since Emma did go along with it.  Regina grabbed Emma’s arm and drew her up onto the bed with the blonde above her.

“What would you have me do, my Queen?” Emma inquired, gazing down at those beautiful dark eyes. 

A thumb grazed Emma’s cheek as Regina drew in a shaky breath.  It didn’t matter how much confidence the older woman had, Emma still made her weak in the knees.  “Kiss me,” she exhaled, their lips almost immediately crashing into one another as the blonde could do nothing more than oblige.  Regina reached behind Emma, pulling the curly blonde hair out of the messy bun it had been done up in.  She felt her skin tighten in goosebumps as the hair tickled her neck and chest.  When Regina felt teeth nipping at her bottom lip, she pulled away abruptly, hand wrapped around Emma’s throat as she gazed at her with a scathing look.  “Did I order you to do that, peasant?” she scolded.

Emma’s breath hitched and she gulped.  “I-I’m sorry, Your Majesty,” she stuttered, bowing her head in shame.  One of her lover’s hands slithered down her spine and with a loud smack left the reddening imprint of a hand on her left ass cheek.  A small whimper escaped Emma’s throat.

“Do not disobey me again!” the Queen threatened, “I believe you require punishment for your disobedience.”  She used her striking hand to rip away the cloth standing between her and Emma’s breasts before giving her left nipple a harsh pinch.  A yelp of pain rang out from her partner and Regina smirked.  “Are you going to be a good girl now?” she had to ask again.

“Yes, of course, my Queen,” Emma replied in a pant before she felt her entire breast being grasped roughly.

Regina lifted her back from the bed and whispered into The Savior’s ear, “You see, you’ve already answered that question and lied.  I think you’re going to have to prove it to me, dear.”  Her lips made contact with the skin behind the blonde’s ear.

The lips on her flesh sent a wave of sensations to the younger woman’s groin.  Emma remained frozen and breathed out, “I will do anything.”

“Good,” Regina spoke huskily, literally salivating by now, “Now touch me.”

That seductive voice always put Emma in a hypnotic state, so much so that she was willing to do anything it told her to do.  One hand kept the blonde propped up while the other ran up Regina’s smooth abdomen and over the silky fabric covering her breasts.  “May I make you more comfortable, my Queen?” she requested.

 “What a wonderful idea, Miss Swan,” Regina answered before making her lingerie disappear in an instant.

The Savior didn’t know why she was blushing.  She had seen the woman naked one time before, but the sight made her heart skip a beat.  “You’re so beautiful,” she whispered.

“While I appreciate the sentiment,” Regina began as she grabbed Emma’s hand, forcing it downwards, “I believe I ordered you to _touch me_.”

As her hand slid down to rest between Regina’s thighs, Emma’s head knelt down, taking a hardened nipple in between her lips, suckling on it gently.  The older woman’s hips pressed towards Emma’s hand with need.  Answering the silent command, she allowed her middle finger to swipe up Regina’s slit, stopping to focus on her clit.  Rubbing the bundle of nerves, Emma managed to draw a deep moan from Regina’s throat. 

Regina bit her lower lip while she spread her legs further apart.  Her back arched into Emma’s touch and she inhaled sharply when she was caught off guard by Emma sliding two fingers deep into her core.  The Queen let out a cry of pleasure.  “I should…punish you for that,” Regina struggled to speak as her lover began pumping the fingers in and out slowly.

The slickness of Regina’s velvety walls caused Emma to become wet almost instantly.  She lifted her head to nibble gently up her Queen’s neck.  “I have been a terrible loyal subject of my Queen.  I deserve and accept whatever punishment you have planned for me,” Emma practically purred into Regina’s ear.

A quiver shot down the brunette’s spine and her eyes nearly rolled back into her head.  The words would have once given Regina such a huge power trip, but now they sent her into pure bliss.  With her knees sliding back, Regina pushed her legs further apart to allow her partner better access.  The dark sorceress threw her head back in ecstasy and curled her toes when Emma curved her fingers before plunging in, knuckle deep.  Regina was quickly losing control over the situation, each thrust sending her higher and higher.  She began squeezing her walls around Emma’s fingers in an attempt to slow The Savior down. 

Emma caught the open neck in her mouth, nibbling and sucking on it.  The vibration of the moan she caused tickled Emma’s lips lightly.  The sensation of Regina’s nails grazing down her lightly toned abs sent a rack of shivers throughout Emma’s body, which in turn caused the rhythm of her breathing to become uneven.  Driven by reflexes, Emma bit down onto Regina’s neck when she felt the woman’s soft fingertips graze her swollen clit. 

Once the blonde had lost some rhythm, Regina knew she had control once more.  “Someone’s quite excited,” she noted Emma’s wetness whilst licking her lips.  In an instant, Regina threw her knight off guard by pushing her middle and ring fingers into the blonde.  Emma was tight around her fingers, which the Queen was not expecting. 

Together, the Queen and her Savior found a beat of their own to move to.  A thin layer of perspiration began to cover their bodies even though it was freezing outside.  Hair stuck to their faces and each breath became shorter.  They both cried and moaned with pleasure.  Every thrust and rock brought each woman closer to release.  The thrusts became harder, faster, and more deliberate.  Greenish-blue eyes illuminated with an azure glow as a similar aura engulfed Emma’s body.  Regina’s nostrils flared as if she were inhaling Emma’s magic.  The Queen’s eyes also began to light up violet as her own magic began to engulf her body.  As if completely in sync with one another, Emma and Regina reached the apex of their passion, their magic exploding.  Emma immediately collapsed atop her Queen, trying to catch her breath.  The tickle of light magic slowly left the inside of Regina as the blonde removed her fingers.  The brunette copied her and wrapped her arms around her knight before placing a heavy kiss on her forehead. 

* * *

Various different body parts littered the floor of the dungeon and its walls were splashed with red.  A white wolf stood over a guard, tearing his throat out as tendons snapped and popped.  Blood stains rimmed the carnivore’s snarling mouth.  A deep threatening growl left his throat, aimed at another guard, who stumbled back while dropping his sword before bolting in the other direction.  The wolf huffed and then howled.  His fur began withdrawing and he lifted up onto two legs.  Golden eyes changed back to green.  The man grumbled as he rubbed the hair on his face.  Unlike his father, he preferred to keep his chin smooth.

“Thatch!” another male voice hollered out to him, “It’s about time.  Hurry up and get us out.  The King did something to Neal while you were taking a dog nap.”

The werewolf, whose name was Thatch, turned to face his nemesis, Roland, only to receive a disgusted grimace.  The wolf was stark naked because he removed his clothing before transforming.  For some reason, he wasn’t blessed enough to have the ability to have his attire meld into him.  Thatch held his arms out and asked, “My good looks too good for you, mate?”

“This is not a time to be joking around!” Roland spat harshly, “Neal is going after Avalon and if you care about her at all, you will hurry up and get us the hell out of here!”  He shook the bars savagely while his eyes made it obvious he was pissed.

Thatch grunted as he lowered his arms and walked back to his cell where the door had been torn off its iron hinges.  After he reapplied his attire and zipped up his red hoodie, the younger male walked to Roland’s cell.  As soon as he touched the metal bars, he was blown back into the opposing wall.  “Agh!” is what he let out as he slid to the floor.  “Sorry, mate, but I think we have a small problem,” he said with a wince.

“Magic,” a shy female voice spoke.  The girl in the cell next to Thatch’s pulled her hood down.  Adrian had brown hair with large curls that was cut just above her shoulders.  Her golden brown eyes bounced back and forth between the two men, who were now focused on her.  “We’re stuck here,” she murmured with an accent, fiddling with two pale hands. She pulled her knees to her chest and sighed.

To everyone’s surprise, black smoke puffed up in the center of the block.  When it dissipated, the Dark One could be seen.  Every muscle in the room became tense with Adrian leaping up in an instant.  With a wave of Henry’s hand, the two cell doors creaked open.

“You!” Adrian hissed, throwing a hand out.

Invisible energy slammed into Henry, but he managed to stand his ground, only sliding on his feet slightly.  He managed to keep the box under his arm in place.  “Look,” he said, shooting a glare at Adrian, “I know you hate me, but right now…I’m trying to do the right thing.”

“Redemption?” Thatch inquired, “The King won’t be pleased.”

“You can never redeem yourself, not after what you did!” Adrian shouted angrily walking out of the cell towards Henry.  She was usually a quiet and timid girl, but the very sight of the Dark One made her seethe.  “You killed my father, and that can never be forgiven!  I could care less if you’re family or not!”

Henry let out a primal growl as one hand began to lift towards his much younger aunt.  Unexpectedly, he drew a breath and lowered his hand slowly.  This feud had gone on for too many years now.  “I…I understand that,” he conceded, “And I will not ask for your forgiveness because I do not deserve it…but right now, you need my help.  The castle is covered with guards.  I can get you to where you need to go in an instant, and we need to beat Neal to Avalon.”

Roland wrapped his hand around Adrian’s arm and pulled her back gently.  “I understand your anger completely,” he spoke softly, “But he’s right.” 

The wolf man glanced at the box Henry held with a brow lifted in curiosity and asked, “What’s that?  Your dick in a box?”  All eyes rolled due to Thatch’s lack of maturity.  He was his father’s son after all.

“The dagger, idiot,” Henry groaned, “I need Emma to use her magic to open it.”

“I highly doubt the King would willingly hand over your power,” Adrian snipped.

“Not the King,” Henry replied, “Ava brought our moms from the past to help us defeat the King.”

“That’s actually a great idea,” Roland mused, “She’s beautiful and a genius.”

“Too hot for you,” Thatch jeered.

“Thatch, shut up!” Adrian snapped before looking to Henry.  “Fine, let’s get this over with.  You’d better hope I don’t get my hands on that dagger,” she threatened.

“Don’t worry,” Henry said, “You won’t have to.”  Puffs of dark smoke appeared in the center of the four before engulfing them and vanishing into thin air.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If there is anyone who is still wondering who Adrian’s and Thatch’s parents are, this chapter will explain. Something else will be revealed here if you can catch it and put the puzzle pieces together. I would also like to state that with the show about to start on Sunday and the fact that Lily will be back, remember that I started writing this before that and the beginning of this story takes place before season 4 even though some chunks and pieces from season 4 take place within the story, especially in this chapter.

Hands were clasped firmly together in between the two women, fingers intertwined.  Breathing had finally become easier and their hearts stopped racing about half an hour ago.  Emma and Regina lay naked side by side with only a sheet draped over their bodies.  Neither one of them realized that the other was thinking the same exact thing.  That was quite possibly the best sexual experience they had ever felt, even better than the first time they made love.  Though they remained stagnant, both women’s bodies were still riddled with shock from their climax.  Laying in silence the whole time, staring up at the illusion of a ceiling seemed like the only proper thing to do.

Regina rolled onto her side, freeing her hand from Emma’s to prop her head up so she could gaze at her beautiful Savior.  “Your abilities lead me to believe you have done this before, Emma,” she broke the silence while tracing the blonde’s collar bone with a fingertip.  Strong toned arms slipped around her midsection, pulling her into the blonde’s body.  Regina sank into the protective embrace, pressing the bridge of her nose against Emma’s neck.  It felt nice to let down all those walls protecting her vulnerability.  Regina didn’t need them when Emma was there to protect her.  Of course she knew this would be a two way street and she couldn’t allow the blonde to always stand in between her and danger, but at the moment, it just felt so freeing. 

Lips curled into a smile as Emma stroked dark locks.  “No, I wouldn’t say it’s my first rodeo,” she answered, “I’ve had flings with other women before.  I suspect the same from you.”

“None quite so serious, dear,” Regina laughed, “What about you?  Have you been in a serious relationship with a woman before?”

Emma let her face fall, knowing Regina couldn’t see it.  However, the other woman would hear it in her voice when she said, “Yeah, a long time ago, in a different life...”

Sensing the dismay in the blonde’s voice, Regina lifted her head up and whispered, “I-I’m sorry.  You don’t have to talk about it.”

“No, it’s ok,” Emma replied with a shake of her head, “I was young and stupid.  It ended badly, but it was my own fault.  I ran, like I always do…er…used to.”  She certainly didn’t want Regina think she would run away from her.  That was the furthest thought from her mind.  Then again, this whole adventure proved that this time, Emma wasn’t going to flee when things got tough.

“What happened?” The question slipped from Regina’s lips, her curiosity getting the best of her.  “You don’t have to answer that,” she continued even though she hoped Emma would be willing to share more of her past, other than Henry’s father, with her.

“I broke a promise.”

* * *

_Emma glanced down at the faint remnants of a star made by a black sharpie on her wrist.  She let out a heavy sigh and backed into the tree behind her, sliding down into the grass.  How could she be so stupid?  One of the only people she considered a friend had lied to her.  It was her own fault for even trying to trust someone and thinking she could let someone in.  Lily had been different in so many ways, though.  She made Emma feel things she had only read about in books.  Emma didn’t know what to make of those feelings, but she did know that they amplified the feelings of betrayal tenfold.  Yet, here Emma was, in the park where they had that picnic.  It was one of the last things they did together before going to that house where she was betrayed._

_“Hey,” a familiar voice spoke timidly, which was strange._

_The real orphan shot her head up to glare at the brunette furiously.  Her face softened when she saw the days of crying written all over Lily’s face.  Emma couldn’t bear to see her looking that way, so she averted her eyes elsewhere.  “What do you want?” she snapped._

_“Emma, please,” Lily begged, dropping to her knees to be at the same level as the blonde.  “I’m so sorry,” her voice cracked, tears welling again, “I never should have lied to you.  I just wanted a friend and I thought if I wasn’t like you, you wouldn’t want to be my friend.”_

_“You aren’t like me,” Emma spat, but then lowered her tone, “but I would have been your friend anyways.  You didn’t have to lie…”_

_Brown eyes looked into greenish ones with hope, a river on each cheek.  “I know that now,” she whispered, “I’m such an idiot.  Can you please forgive me?”_

_Emma sighed and reached out to grab Lily by her arms, pulling her into a tight hug.  “Yes,” she gave in, “but only because I think I’ve fallen in love with you.”_

_Lily pulled back suddenly, sitting on her heels, her tears dried up.  “You what?” she asked in shock._

_“I…I love you,” Emma said, her face turning towards the ground, thinking she had completely broken her one and only friendship.  “I’m sorry, but I’ve been having these feelings towards you…and I don’t know how to describe it any other way than love,” she continued, “I’ll understand if you think I’m disgusting.”  Emma rose to her feet and began to turn away.  She was ready to flee yet again, but a hand caught her own._

_“No,” the brunette stopped the blonde before getting up, “No, I don’t think that.  I-I just…wasn’t expecting you to feel the same way I do.”  Lily tugged on Emma’s hand, pulling her so they were close again.  “Please don’t run away.  Promise me you won’t run away,” she whispered before giving her a light kiss on the lips._

_Before Emma could respond, she felt the soft lips on her own and butterflies flew from the pit of her stomach.  She shut her eyes and kissed back softly, hoping she was doing it correctly because this was her first kiss.  “I promise.”_

_A few months had passed by since the pair declared they were an item.  On this particular night, Emma was walking her girlfriend home from a movie date.  She didn’t care that she would be scolded for returning to the shelter so late because she had never been so happy before.  The two were so enveloped in each other, walking hand in hand and talking about the movie, that they did not notice a shadowy figure following them._

_They were both laughing when Emma stopped to pull Lily into her arms and press their lips together.  That’s when a terrible pain struck in her back.  Every muscle in her body began to twitch and spasm involuntarily.  The hair on her arms and the back of her neck stood on end.  The searing pain shot through Lily as well.  Neither one of them could even cry out.  It was like they lost all control of their bodies.  Since both had eyes closed, they could not see the electricity flowing over their bodies, nor the white glow around Emma which began flowing into Lily’s body.  Suddenly, an intense force in between their bodies blew them apart from one another.  They both hit the ground hard, about five feet separating them._

_The lurking figure in the shadows had waited for the perfect opportunity before placing a Taser in the middle of Emma’s back.  He left it there for a few moments before he noticed the electricity actually being visible around their bodies.  That didn’t usually happen.  After being blown back, he stumbled back to his feet frantically all the while managing to keep his hood up.  “Fucking faggots,” he spat out before turning and sprinting off._

_Even though the pain was still coursing through her veins, Emma had heard the slur.  There was that hate again that brought about her self-loathing for being interested in someone of the same sex.  She struggled to roll over and crawl to Lily, who was sobbing.  “Are you ok?” she croaked out, forcing her own tears back._

_Lily sat up with a painful grunt.  She winced while saying, “I’ll be ok.  What about you?  Are you hurt?”  She was more worried about Emma’s wellbeing than her own._

_“I’m fine,” Emma replied, becoming abruptly short, “Let’s get you home.”  She quickly helped her girlfriend up and let go of her hand.  There was that fear again.  It was that fear that another bigot would see them being more than friendly with one another that made Emma put a space between her and the brunette._

_When they finally got back to Lily’s house, Emma turned to leave immediately.  However, Lily’s hand grabbed her arm and she asked with a smirk, “No goodnight kiss?”_

_“Um, I was actually thinking,” Emma began, “Maybe this isn’t such a good idea…”_

_The smirk instantly turned into a frown.  “What’s not a good idea?”_

_“This,” Emma replied, “Us…being together.  Maybe it’s not right.”  She tried to pull away._

_Lily tightened her grip on the blonde’s arm and jerked her back.  “No!” she shouted, worry flooding her expression.  “Don’t let some bigoted asshole ruin what we have!”_

_“Lily,” Emma shushed her, “You’re gonna wake your dad.”_

_“I don’t care!” Lily yelled as her eyes glazed over.  “You promised you wouldn’t run away!” She pressed her forehead into Emma’s shoulder as she began to sob.  “You promised…”_

_Emma grabbed Lily’s wrist and tugged it roughly to remove her hand.  “I’m sorry…I can’t…”_

_As the blonde walked away, the brunette reached out for her before collapsing to her knees.  “I love you,” she whispered, but it fell on deaf ears, “You promised…”_

* * *

“Oh, Emma,” Regina exhaled while stroking The Savior’s cheek.  The story had left her utterly heartbroken.  It still stunned her how such a thing was seen as a stigma socially.  Regina had experienced various feelings of hatred towards many things, but that was not one of them. 

“There are many forms of evil in this world,” Emma muttered, “And I would rather go through a hundred Dark Curses than to experience that night again.  I was such an asshole…”

“Do you regret it?” Regina asked.

“I regret breaking her heart,” the blonde replied, “But I don’t regret walking away…if I didn’t, I wouldn’t be here with you.  I’m sure she moved on and found something better.  We were practically kids.”

Regina’s mouth opened to speak, but their conversation was cut short when there was a loud commotion heard outside.  They both shot up, the dark sorceress instinctually flicked her wrists to reapply their clothing. 

“Damn, you’ll have to teach me that later,” Emma said, “I could use that for when I’m running late for work.”

Outside, Killian fumbled to unsheathe his sword either due to fatigue, rum, or both.  The cause for such sudden distress was a ball of black smoke appearing before him.  “Who goes there?!” he shouted loud enough to alarm everyone else awake.  The new Dark One and three others were left standing there when the smoke dissipated.  Totally against the set plans, everyone came running towards the campfire.  Avalon was the first to show up, still zipping up her jacket when she arrived.  The sight of her brother caused her to immediately ignite a fireball.  The more mature Ruby, who had not been very far away, showed up almost at the same time Ava did, eyes flickering yellow.  Robin was the next to run up, crossbow already out and aimed on the intruders.  Emma and Regina appeared in their own plume of intermingled white and purple smoke.  They held hands, magic ready at their disposal in each opposite hand.  David stumbled up, still rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, but had his sword drawn and ready for any fight.  Mr. Gold was the last to walk to the scene, reluctant as ever, almost as if he were there just for show.  The team stood in a line, shoulder to shoulder, like an armada prepared to take anything that was thrown at them. 

“I guess our plan is out the window,” Emma stated the obvious.

“Quite observant, Miss Swan,” Regina quipped, rolling her eyes.

Ava took a step forward with a defensive stance.  “What did she send you for now, Henry?” she asked, noticing her friends standing behind her brother, “Did she take their hearts?  Is she controlling all of you now?!”  She reared back her flame engulfed hand before lunging forward at him.

Henry dropped the wooden box in order to side step his sister before sending a powerful blast of dark energy into her side effectively sending her tumbling across the ground, revealing the dirt and mud beneath the inches of snow.  He bore his teeth with inherent anger, which had long since been hard to control.  “I’m not here to fight you, idiot!” he growled. 

Regina’s jaw clenched as her forehead wrinkled with worry.  She was clearly conflicted and she peeked to catch a glimpse of Emma’s expression, realizing she was, too.  Were they really ready to fight their son?  _Oh Henry, my baby boy…how did you get this way?_ Regina thought.

A hand landed on Henry’s shoulder hard causing him to glare at its owner.  “Hey!” Roland yelled in his face with a snarl, “Don’t you lay another hand on her!”  He glanced at Avalon, who had gotten up with no problem, and then to the people before him.  His eyes widened and he took a step back.

“Thatch!” Ruby cried out before breaking the line and running to her son, throwing arms around him.  “Oh, I’ve been so worried!  Are you ok?”

Embarrassment flooded Thatch’s features as his mother clung to him.  “Ah, come on, Mum,” he pleaded, “I’m fine.  I’m an adult.  I can take care of myself.”

“I don’t care how old you are,” Ruby scolded him, “You’re still my little pup.”

Emma shot Hook a look in which he just returned with a shrug of his shoulders.  It was clear as day who Thatch’s father was because he looked just like Killian.  The pirate didn’t really know how to approach the situation.

“Dad?” fell from the younger wolf’s mouth as he looked towards the one-handed man.  It was confusing for him.  His father had died long ago, but Henry did mention something of Avalon bringing people from the past.

Ruby plastered her hands on each side of her son’s face, staring up at him with sad eyes.  “Oh, honey,” she cooed before explaining, “That’s not him…he’s from the past.”

“R-right,” he said flatly, “I-I knew that.”  In all honesty, he really did know, but seeing Hook strung a tiny string of hope in him.

Adrian peered from beneath her hood to see her father standing there with the crowd.  She swallowed thickly as she tried to keep herself from crying.  Approaching him was something she could not find within herself.  She knew what kind of evil he was capable of, but at the same time she also knew the love he could show.  If she revealed her identity to him, not only would he probably become over-emotional, but she would also break down, which was something she wanted to avoid.  This was all a cruel joke to her and she would have it out with Avalon about it later.

Avalon and Roland crashed into each other in a big hug.  “Promise you aren’t indoctrinated?” she asked.

“I swear it,” he replied, patting her back gently before pulling away, “I see you brought my father from the past with you…among others.”

“I didn’t know what else to do,” Ava said with a sigh, “I would have come for you guys…but…”

“Under the circumstances, I understand,” Roland reassured her with a gentle smile. 

Robin, who had lowered his guard like everyone else, walked towards the man with dark brown, messy hair.  He looked at him as if he were trying to figure out a difficult math problem in his head.  “Roland?  Is that you?”

The future version of the outlaw’s son pivoted to face Robin.  “In the flesh,” he answered while holding a hand out.  Robin took it and shook haphazardly because the whole experience was mindboggling to him.

The pirate nudged the imp in the arm and nodded towards the girl with her face hidden by a cloak.  “I wonder who she is,” he spoke.

“I already know,” Rumpel said with a straight face, not bothering to even look at her.

Regina leaned over and whispered in to Emma’s ear, “You think they’re a thing?”  Of course she was referring to Roland and their future daughter.

“I don’t know,” the blonde whispered back, “Would it be a problem if they were?”

“Of course not.  Roland is a sweetheart…well, the one I know anyways.”

Thatch watched on as Avalon reached out to touch Roland’s arm.  He saw the care for the archer in her eyes and jealousy rolled through his heart.  The wolf had an eye for the gorgeous woman, but it seemed like she only had eyes for the goofy and overly sweet forest man.  He crossed his arms with a grim look all over his face.

“Where’s Neal?” Ava asked Roland softly.

Roland’s eyes turned to the ground with sorrow as he replied, “He may be our enemy now…she took his heart…sent him to come find you.”

“Neal,” David interrupted, “As in my son?”

The time traveler gave her grandfather a nod and said, “Yeah…it doesn’t surprise me.  Our last encounter she made such threats.  Plus…Mom always had an ongoing resentment towards him.”

The answer had David turning to his daughter with a questioning look.  “Emma,” he breathed, “Is that true?”

“Whoa,” Emma defended herself, holding her hands up, “We all know future me is insane and for good reason.  At the moment, I cannot be held accountable.”  In reality, The Savior knew that in the back of her mind, she did hold some jealousy towards her baby brother for having the life she only wished for when she was a kid.  However, she suppressed those thoughts because she knew it all led back to the actions of the woman she loved and there was no way to change it now.

“I hate to break up the _happy_ family reunion,” Henry broke in, his words venomous, “But I believe we have _bigger_ issues.”  At no point could his tone have sounded more like Regina back in the day of her evil ways.

“Right,” Ava iterated, her voice dripping with the same amount of poison.  She trotted directly in front of her older brother, glaring into his eyes.  “Why are _you_ here?”

Henry dusted the dirt off the wooden box he had picked up from the ground and looked towards Emma.  “I need my dagger freed from this,” he spat, holding the box out.  He froze in place as Regina stepped towards him.  A chill ran through his body when she placed her hands on either side of his face.  His angered expression softened when he looked into her eyes, which were glazed over with unshed tears.

“What happened to you?” Regina sniffed as she took in his golden-flaked appearance.  “Why?  You know what I went through to come out of that place.”

Guilt ran over the new Dark One’s face and he averted his eyes to the ground.  Then he glanced towards Gold and said, “A very bad lapse of judgment…”


	16. Chapter 16

_He had been driving and circling around town for what seemed like hours now, wasting gas while he tried to collect his thoughts.  “This had to be his plan all along,” Henry reassured himself.  Rumpelstiltskin had a roadmap for everything from the very beginning.  His mother’s passing wasn’t the only death on his mind.  Gold had also inadvertently caused the death of Henry’s father, Neal.  For the longest time, he tried to avoid those thoughts, but Regina’s death dug up old hurt.  Maybe he just needed to grow up a little first.  To Henry, it seemed like Rumpel had closed that chapter of his life and went about his business like it was nothing.  Henry was sure his grandfather had his hands in this situation somehow, and he needed closure.  He couldn’t believe he actually somewhat looked up to the man, but now all this pent up resentment was getting the better of him.  Henry let out a low growl with his lips pressed tightly together.  Gripping the steering wheel tightly, he made a turn to head towards Mr. Gold’s and Belle’s mansion.  He needed revenge._

_Walking up the side of the structure, Henry ducked down under a window, making his way to another window.  Saliva pooled in his mouth as he peeked through the glass, holding the handle of the dagger for dear life.  It was Gold’s bedroom and the older man was sleeping peacefully on the bed. Belle was nowhere around.  Perhaps she was watching over the shop at the moment.  Henry chose not to call upon the Dark One with the dagger because he knew that Rumpel would talk him out of it.  He didn’t need Gold’s false sympathy.  Henry gently rapped on the window to see if it would stir his grandfather at all.  If it did, the plan was off.  Thankfully, Gold remained unmoved.  Henry nodded to himself and snuck around to the back door.  He was surprised to see that door handle was unlocked when he grabbed and turned it.  Was Rumpel really so confident he didn’t plan for intruders beforehand?_

_With a face of no emotion, Henry walked quietly to Gold’s bedroom.  The final step to his grandfather’s side was met with a loud creak of wood.  Mr. Gold’s eyes flew open, but before he could even rise up, it was like a cat had his tongue.  The dagger was hilt deep in his chest.  Henry’s hand let go of the dagger and stumbled back, his expression of disbelief matching Gold’s.  “I-I’m sorry,” Henry whispered with a sorrowful look, knowing it didn’t mean a damn thing now.  It was too late and the Dark One disintegrated into dust just before golden flakes and black smoke engulfed its successor._

* * *

“But I want to redeem myself,” Henry whispered sincerely as his stare turned back towards Regina.  They were words echoed from what seemed like a lifetime ago.  He felt like he was speaking to a ghost, but he was ok with that.  Just to be able to speak to Regina, whether she was from the past or not, meant everything to him.

“And you can, honey,” Regina answered, her thumb stroking over the rough flesh just beneath his eye.  Redemption was something she was still working on.  It had been, and would continue to be, a long road for her so she knew it would be the same for her son, though, hopefully not as long.  The woman who used to stand for evil made her expression a more serious one.  “We will change things, I swear it, Henry,” she declared.

His face fell towards the snow on the ground with shame.  “I’m sorry for never trying to understand you when you needed it the most,” he admitted as a single tear rolled down a gold-specked cheek, “But I understand what you were feeling completely now…”

Regina’s arms flung around him, crushing him in a taut hug, droplets escaping her eyes.  “No, don’t you ever be sorry for that.”

“Aw, how precious,” a dark, yet familiar, voice called out from behind the brush, bringing everyone to attention.  The Evil King, donning the same bright and shining armor, stepped out from the darkness.  Her eye darted instantly to Henry, giving him a wicked smile.  “Thought you had pulled one over on me, son?” she queried, watching as her son clutched the box in his hands protectively.

“You can’t control me anymore!” Henry shouted as Regina took a step forward, pushing him behind her body.

The former Savior ran a leather-covered hand through her loose blonde locks and chuckled.  “Oh, Henry,” she started before clicking her tongue, “You see, I don’t need to.  I don’t need your power.”  Her evil grin vanished in an instant and she threw her hand out sending a strong wave of magic at the entire group, knocking them harshly onto the ground.  “I have my own,” she announced darkly.  The snow crunched beneath her boots as she waltzed nonchalantly towards them.

Emma, the good one, threw her feet into the air, the rest of her body following.  “I’ve had about enough of you,” she growled, face contorted with fury, “Or me…or whatever!”  Her two eyes lit up blue as she charged toward her dark self, Light Magic propelling her steps.  The first punch was caught by the King’s hand, which clamped down on her fist painfully.  Emma winced and wondered how her future self had become so strong.  She certainly couldn’t do that.  However, the pain only fueled the flame of anger with The Savior.  Emma slammed her head into the King’s, effectively bloodying the other blonde’s nose.

Releasing her younger self’s fist, the King stumbled back, holding her nose.  Fortunately, it didn’t feel like it was broken.  She grinned up from her hand, some of the blood running over her lips and onto her teeth.  Her arm went up just as Emma fired a blast at her, deflecting the magic before returning with her own magic.

With a gasp, Emma landed on her back sliding.  Her blood began to boil and it showed in her eyes, which were glowing more intensely.  Her nostrils flared and she gritted her teeth while she pushed her body up off the ground for a second time.  “I will destroy you!” she screamed as she suddenly tackled the King to the ground, all control of herself lost.  Several punches met various spots of the King’s face, spilling more crimson, which began to stain Emma’s hands.

“Emma!” Regina cried out, witnessing the sudden change in her lover.  It happened once before, in the cave.  She rushed forward with the intent to stop the blonde, but she came to a halt when Emma went flying off from the King due to a magic powered punch.  The Savior hit the ground with a thud and Regina’s heart dropped when Emma appeared to be limp. 

The King rose to two feet, wiping blood from her lips, flicking it off her hand and onto the ground.  She suddenly vanished and then reappeared directly in front of Regina.  Her hand abruptly grasped the Queen’s jaw, forcing her to look directly at her face.  “You’re as beautiful as the day you left this world, my Queen,” the King whispered.  If she meant to sound loving, she was doing it wrong.

A chill ran down Regina’s spine and she stopped breathing for a moment.  Not many things scared the former Evil Queen, but the darkness and evil that just oozed from the King put her stomach in knots.  _Was I ever this terrifying_? She asked herself.

“You could stay here, in this timeline,” the evil Emma spoke seductively, “We could rule this entire planet together.”  Her lips were just centimeters away from Regina’s.  “You would never have to hide or hold back who you truly are anymore.”

With a gulp, Regina’s confidence came surging back and she cracked an Evil Queen-like grin at the dark King.  “That sounds awfully tempting, dear,” she uttered, her husky voice low, “But I have come too far to let the likes of you ruin it for me now!”  Regina’s own Light Magic manifested itself in the hand she had placed onto the King’s abdomen, seconds prior, sending her into a tree where vines wrapped around her torso and restrained her hands.  “You should know better than to cross me,” Regina threatened with a snarl, “I taught you how to use that magic.  Your Queen would be ashamed of you.”

Instinctually struggling against the plant that trapped her, the King came to pause, letting the words sink in.  Her eye lit up red and the vines incinerated to a crisp.  A fireball appeared in her hand and she took a few steps towards Regina.  “Yeah, you did,” she confessed, the flames growing bigger and brighter, “And maybe I should have killed you with it so I wouldn’t have to live out this life!”   The King pushed the fire from her hand at the woman before her.

While the King and Regina had been going at each other’s throats, no one had noticed that Emma finally began to stir to consciousness.  The threats between her Queen and future self were fuzzy in her ears, but she understood them clear as day.  The feeling of dread hit her like a freight train when she could sense Regina in danger.  Emma didn’t know how or when, only that her head felt like it was splitting, but she somehow found her footing.  Leaping in front of Regina, Emma took the entire impact of the massive blast of fire to her back.  Red faux leather melted and seeped straight through the shirt beneath it as the blonde collapsed to the ground again.

“EMMA!” Regina screeched while she watched The Savior go down.  She could hear nothing else but her thumping heart in her ears as she crashed to two knees before the love of her life.  Her hands moved quickly to turn Emma over and remove the jacket even though it was freezing outside.  “You stupid, stupid, idiot!” she cried, “Why did you do that?!”

Emma grasped onto Regina’s arm and groaned, “Because I don’t want to lose you and turn into that.”  Her eyes motioned toward the King.  The blonde’s vision began to get blurry, the pain begging her to just let go, but she fought to stay conscious.  Avalon ran up to stand next to Emma and Regina, ready to defend them should the King strike another attack.

“Yes, let’s add a few more pointless scars to my body,” the King spat as she glared up to her daughter, “And you…it seems like my brother is useless to me.”  She waved her hand, making Neal appear in a flurry of red smoke.

Neal looked dazed and confused because he had just been walking elsewhere.  His head went back and forth as he took in his surroundings.  A pit opened in his stomach when he realized the Evil King was the reason he was there.

The King shook her head back and forth in disappointment.  “Tsk, tsk,” she scolded, “You had one job, Neal.”  Her eye stayed locked on her daughter as if it disgusted her to even think about looking at Neal.  The dark version of Emma held a hand out and in it appeared a glowing pink organ, thumping with life. 

“I apologize, my King,” he said, quickly explaining, “I went to the cottage to find it empty.”

When the King saw the horror on Avalon’s face, she practically laughed before clutching her fingers around the heart, obliterating it into dust in an instant.  “Goodbye, annoyance,” she spoke grimly while the dust fell from her hand.  At the same moment, her little brother fell to the ground, limp.

“NO!” David howled before unsheathing his sword, making a valiant charge at the dark ruler.  It didn’t matter that it was the Neal of the future, he was still his son, and to see him go down by Emma’s hands was unacceptable.  He came to a halt with an invisible force around his neck, lifting him to his feet.  The sword fell from his grasp due to the sudden lack of oxygen causing him to reach for whatever was choking him out.

“You want to be next?” the King warned, hand held out, using her magic to hold David back.

“You’re a monster,” Regina said breathlessly.

“Says the one who ripped her own father’s heart out,” she threw in the Queen’s face.

Avalon was vibrating with pure fury, the aura of her magic swirling around her, kicking up some wind.  “I will never forgive you for what you’ve done,” she declared shakily, “I will kill you if it’s the last thing I do…”

The King’s face lit up with amusement before she illuminated crimson with her own magic.  “That’s my girl.” 

* * *

He raced quickly through the trees and brush, clutching tightly onto the paper with written directions.  At this moment, he regretted not taking a horse when he left Granny’s compound.  He had finally returned to Storybrooke after so many years of guilt racking his mind.  Perhaps he was the only one who could stop all of this madness.  Those who remained in the small town had not seen what he had, which was the world at arms with things they had no business understanding.  Every major city in the United States was in shambles due to the utter chaos that followed days after Regina’s supposed death.  He had spent enough time hiding from the guilt and he needed to set things right.  He needed to undo whatever curse Emma had brought upon the world.  He just hoped that he would make it to the camp in time to share some news with everyone before they decided to charge the King’s castle.

The sight of the Evil King standing before the inhabitants of the camp caused his steps to stop and he quickly dove behind a tree.  With shaking hands, he grabbed the crossbow from his back and locked in an arrow.  He peeked out from around the tree, thankful to be hidden in the darkness, and took steady aim on the King.  He wanted to make sure it wouldn’t be a kill shot, but he panicked when she lifted an arm to attack Avalon, and he just pulled the trigger.  When the arrow only grazed the King’s armor, he let out a sigh of relief before shouting, “That’s enough!” 

Spinning around to see her attacker walk out from the shadows, the evil ruler almost looked shocked.  David had been released, falling to two knees, gasping for air.  “You,” she seethed upon seeing the face of the man who started this all.  “You’re either really bold or really stupid to show your face now, Robin Hood.”

“Dad?” Roland spoke, completely baffled by this new revelation, “I thought you were dead.”  He had figured as much when the outlaw never turned up again after Regina’s apparent murder. 

“Remind of all this the next time someone suggests time travel so I don’t accompany everyone,” the younger Robin demanded, “It’s all too confusing.” 

“Shut up all of you!” the King ordered loudly before sauntering over to the man who killed her wife.  “So you ran like a coward,” she explained, circling him, “Everything…all of this…could have been prevented if you had just stayed around like the ‘honorable man’ you claim to be.  If only I could have gotten my closure by killing you all those years ago.”

“Emma, hear me out,” the Robin of this timeline pleaded, but he was cut short as the evil blonde drew her sword and sliced it across his back.  His face scrunched up in pain and he went to one knee, but refused to let go of his weapon.

Continuing her waltz around the outlaw, the evil Emma growled, “Oh, so you want to explain yourself?!  You think you had a good reason to murder the woman I love?!  Honestly…what reason would she have had to kill Marian?  You had left her ten years beforehand and she had me.  We were a family…”  She now stood directly in front of him, the tip of her sword dangerously close to his face.

Robin stared up into the King’s face, not an ounce of fear showing in his own.  “You’re right,” he admitted, “You’re absolutely right…she didn’t kill Marian, and I knew that then and I still know it now.”

“Then why?” Regina questioned, practically begging for an answer.  Nothing made sense at the moment.  How could someone she thought she cared deeply for, who felt the same towards her, ultimately cause her demise?

“What the hell is going on?” Robin’s son queried, shocked by the admission.

The King grabbed Robin’s collar and pulled him up slowly, breathing in his face.  “I’m so glad this is all coming out in the open,” she said in a bittersweet tone, “I have even more reason to gut you.”

“Emma, you don’t understand,” the outlaw sputtered out before a searing pain entered his upper abdomen.  When the taste of metal touched his tongue, he knew it was bad. 

She leaned in to breathe in his ear, “I understand that you’re going to die.”  The sword was impaling Robin already, half of the blade through his upper stomach, but she shoved it in him to the hilt. 

Everything went in slow motion as Roland let out a blood curdling scream before sprinting at the Evil King, only to hit a wave of power so potent he blacked out like a lamp.  Without uttering a single word, Avalon rushed to his side.  With the exception of good Emma, Regina, Henry, and Gold, everyone else made their own angry charge at the King, but they were no match for her magic.  David literally plowed into the ground, snow and mud breaking up around him.  Roots shot up from the snow and ice, slithering up Killian’s legs, holding him in place.  Before they could transform, Ruby and Thatch were spell-bounded into a frozen state.  Adrian went to grab for the two daggers at her sides, but they had vanished and the next thing she knew, they were pinning her to a tree through her clothing.  A force ripped the younger Robin’s crossbow from his grasp, leaving him unarmed.

“Regina,” the older Robin gasped, warm blood dripping from his lips, “is alive.”


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aha, I had you guys hanging there for a while, didn’t I? Hahaha! I know, I’m evil. Well, here is more for you all! I hope you all enjoy it!
> 
> ***Trigger warning: Attempted Rape***

_Mayor Swan-Mills had been in the middle of addressing the people of her town in city hall went David burst through the doors frantically, panting with sweat rolling off his nose and jaw.  Regina glared at the second sheriff for so rudely interrupting her while everyone turned in their seats to stare towards the back of the room._

_“You’d better have a good reason for interrupting this meeting, Sheriff Nolan,” the mayor threatened._

_After being quite unsuccessful at running the town of Storybrooke, Mary Margaret had given up the position at the end of her one term.  Even the small town’s citizens wanted the former Evil Queen back and Regina won the election by a landslide._

_“Regina,” Charming exhaled, bent over with his hands on his knees trying to catch his breath.  “Emma’s been shot,” he finished, gulping down oxygen.  He had literally ran all the way to city hall to deliver the news._

_Many people who attended the meeting let out shocked gasps, women clasping their hands over their mouths dramatically.  The loud crack of the mayor’s gavel coming down on her desk made some of the attendees jump in their seats.  “This meeting is postponed until further notice,” the mayor announced shakily before rising to her feet.  She walked hastily towards her father-in-law, careful not to show any sign of weakness towards the people of her town._

_David put a hand on Regina’s back and escorted her out.  “She should be at the hospital by now,” he explained as he wiped some dried blood from above his brow, “We will have to take your car.  My cruiser was totaled, which is why I had to come here on foot.”_

_“What the hell happened?!” the brunette shouted angrily across the top of her vehicle, “How did it happen?!  You’re her partner!  You’re supposed to keep her out of trouble!”  Regina fought with her keys, trying to unlock the driver’s side door in a panic._

_Charming rushed around the car to her side and grabbed her hands, pulling the keys from the mayor.  “Regina, breathe,” he attempted to sooth her, “Let me drive.  You really shouldn’t right now.”_

_The woman sighed, giving in and letting the sheriff take the lead.  After Regina settled into the passenger’s seat, David took off in haste towards the hospital.  On the way, David explained that one of those Lost Boys they had saved years ago grew up to be a thief and had decided to rob one of the many shops at gunpoint.  When he and Emma had arrived on scene, the robber jumped into a car and took off.  They gave chase to him, totaled both cars, and before the suspect took off on foot, he fired about five rounds at them.  In the process, Emma drew her own firearm and hit him in the leg pretty much at the same time she was hit._

_It only took about two angry commands from the mayor before a nurse shuffled the distraught brunette to her wife’s room.  Surprisingly enough, the blonde was sitting up in bed while a nurse carefully bandaged her right shoulder.  Dr. Whale was standing over Emma, explaining the extent of the injury.  They both turned their attention to Regina when the room’s door swung open.  Charming remained outside in the waiting room.  He would get his turn soon and Mary Margaret would be there in a few minutes with their son, Neal, as well as Henry and baby Avalon._

_“Emma!” was the first thing that left Regina’s lips before she rushed over to the side of the hospital bed.  Practically shoving Whale out her way and halting the nurse with bandage wrap, the mayor wrapped her arms around the blonde sheriff’s head and pulled it into her chest.  Her heart was ready to jump from her chest and once she made physical contact with her wife, Regina let the tears spill, ignoring the others in the room._

_The doctor slowly took a step back and nodded to the nurse, who cut the remaining bandaging from the roll, taping the end to what was wrapped around the blonde’s shoulder.  “We’ll give you some privacy,” Whale stated before walking out the door._

_Using her left arm, Emma wrapped it around Regina’s waist and gently patted the woman’s back.  “Hey,” she said softly, in an attempt to calm her wife, “It’s ok… I’m ok, baby.”_

_“You’re ok,” Regina repeated in a whisper before pulling away slowly._

_The Savior smiled softly up to the mayor and wrapped her left hand around one of Regina’s.  “The bullet just hit my collar bone,” Emma explained in a soothing tone, “They didn’t even have to do surgery to get it out.  It will heal within a few weeks, too.”  She tilted her head, gesturing towards the wound.  “See?  We don’t even have to use magic if we don’t want to.”  Emma scooted over a bit and smacked the vacated spot next to her on the bed._

_Regina took heed and sat next to her Savior before breaking down again, burying her face into Emma’s neck.  “I’m sorry,” she sobbed, “I’m so sorry.”  She was referring to the night before, in which they had quite the argument.  It was the first time Emma and Regina had not spent the night together in their king size bed since they said their vows.  Last night, she put herself in the dog house, sleeping uncomfortably on the narrow-seated couch in the study._

_With her good arm, Emma held the mayor tightly.  She managed to tuck some of the dark hair behind an ear so that she could plant a warm kiss on Regina’s temple.  “Shh,” she cooed the older woman, stroking her hair, “It’s alright, Regina.  I’m doing just fine.”  Once the mayor had begun to calm down, Emma continued, “But I completely understand what you meant last night now.  I should be apologizing to you, and I am sorry.”_

_The mayor sniffed and cocked her head up to look into bluish-green eyes.  Mascara and eyeliner had smudged and streaked down her cheeks, but Regina didn’t care about her appearance at the moment.  “You do?” she questioned, a bit of surprise in her voice._

_Their argument the night before had consisted of the question, ‘What would they want for each other and their children should something terrible happen to one or both of them?’  Emma, being hardheaded as ever and exhausted from work wanted to avoid the subject, but Regina was not having it.  Wanting to end the conversation quickly in order to go to bed at a decent time, Emma had just brushed it off her shoulders saying that she would be fine with whatever Regina wanted to do.  Then came the questions about what the blonde wanted should she end up alive, but unresponsive.  A sarcastic and playful remark about ‘true love’s kiss’ and how it could ‘fix anything’ was made by Emma, which caused Regina to snap.  They mayor had accused the sheriff of being childish and immature along with throwing insult after insult at Emma.  The yelling and shouting had woken the baby, which ended the heated debate with Regina storming off to attend to baby Avalon.  When she returned to their bedroom, Regina had cooled off and had been expecting to curl up to an already sleeping Emma.  Surely the blonde had already calmed down.  All married couples fought like this, right?  Regina’s heart had nearly shattered when she found the bed empty and she didn’t sleep very well that night.  That morning, the mayor felt guilty for pushing her wife on the subject when she was obviously not ready to talk about it._

_Emma gave Regina a nod with an understanding expression.  “Even though this is basically a flesh wound,” she began, “I saw my life flash before my eyes when the bullet hit.  Suddenly, I was asking myself the very questions you were asking me last night.  I’m sorry, baby.  I shouldn’t have just blown you off like that.  I understand how important this is to you now.”  The blonde sighed and closed her eyes, hugging Regina tighter.  “We need to make out our wills.”_

_A faint smile swept across Regina’s red lips, her scar becoming more defined.  “Thank you,” Regina whispered before she took Emma’s face into her hands and pulled the blonde into a warm kiss.  Emma tilted her head forward, deepening the kiss._

_“You have to promise me one thing, though,” the sheriff said after their lips parted ways, “Something that can’t really be put in a will.”_

_Regina’s brows furrowed in confusion while searching The Savior’s eyes for what the blonde had in mind.  “What is it?” she asked._

_Emma brushed her thumb down the other woman’s jaw line, admiring her wife’s beautiful features for a moment before speaking again.  “Promise me that if I die before you, that you won’t lose yourself.  Promise me that you won’t revert to your old ways.  Remember that it wasn’t me who changed you for the better.  It was yourself because you are a strong and independent woman,” Emma said softly, “Regina; you don’t need anyone but yourself to be a hero and not a villain.  Who you are now…you did that by yourself, and that’s one of the many reasons I fell in love with you.  Plus, Henry and Avalon need you.”_

_The mayor couldn’t help but smile and look away as she was given praise by her wife.  Emma still knew how to give Regina butterflies and how to make her blush.  Regina pushed a tuft of hair from her face before looking her wife in the eyes again.  “Ok,” she gave in, rolling her eyes, “I promise, but you have to promise me the same thing.”_

_The sheriff tilted her head to the side and cocked a brow.  “What do you mean?”_

_“Don’t play coy with me, Sheriff Swan,” Regina threatened her mayoral tone back in full force.   “Trust me.  I know all too well what a broken heart can do to a person.  You may not have experienced that level of pain, but I have,” she explained, her expression softening, “And everyone is capable of darkness and evil.  Promise me that if something happens to me, you won’t make the same mistakes I did.”_

_Emma smiled and nodded before answering, “I promise, Madame Mayor.”_

* * *

Her chocolate eyes, filled with tears, stared with sorrow and dread at one of the mirrors before her.  She watched as the King impaled the outlaw with her sword.  Her lips trembled as Robin gave the blonde his confession before she removed the weapon, which was dripping with blood, from his body, which fell limply onto the ground. Regina watched on while her Emma frantically shook Robin, the hope for some sort of explanation from him written all over her face along with regret, so much regret. 

“Emma,” Regina barely whispered, touching the mirror directly in front of her ever so lightly, “Why did you break your promise?”  For once, she didn’t smash the surrounding mirrors, but not for the lack of wanting to.  She was just too exhausted to.  The anguish within her heart had been taking its toll on Regina and she didn’t know how much more she could endure.  Every day since her faked death, Regina had been forced to watch the love of her life fall deeper and deeper into the darkness, practically sending the entire world into Hell.  On top of that, she witnessed her sweet Henry’s descent into evil and it broke her heart in every way it could be broken.  Some days, she wished that she really had died, but on others, she figured this was her own Hell; her own punishment for every wrong she had made in the past.  She just wished it didn’t have to involve the people she held closest to her heart.

The woman who held Regina captive clapped both her hands together and let out a soft chuckle.  “Oh, the cat is out of the bag,” she spoke proudly, “This means I am one step closer to my goal.”  The dark haired woman walked closer to her shackled prisoner.

“Why don’t you just kill me and get it over with?” Regina snapped.

“I will, dear,” the woman replied, “But I need you in order to bait the King.”

“You want her to love you again like she did before,” Regina explained, “But she won’t.  For one, she moved on from you.  Two, she no longer has the capacity for love...not without her heart.”

The captor rolled her eyes and then gave an evil smirk to Regina.  “Yes, yes, I know, and she can’t put her heart back in her chest because it’s The Savior’s heart and can only be one with someone of pure intent.  After all the wrongs she has committed, that heart will never enter her body again.  I know all of this,” the woman drawled, “It’s not your King I’m after, sweetheart.  You see, your daughter has done such a great job at writing off her own existence.”  She sighed and turned away.  “Avalon brought the Emma from the past here.  That’s the Emma that I want, and she has more capacity in her heart than you can even fathom,” she spat before turning back around, snarling.  “You were such a bitch to her!  She deserved so much better than you!  I don’t even see what she saw in you!  You’re nothing special!  You decided to stop massacring people and all of a sudden she’s falling for your good looks?!  SHE WAS SUPPOSED TO MINE!” the woman screamed, obviously losing her temper, panting.  She caught her breath and managed to calm down a bit.  One glance at the star tattoo on her wrist and she lit up with a smile.  “Maybe I won’t kill you after all,” she spoke with a sickening sweet tone, “Perhaps I’ll keep you here and force you to watch as I bed _my_ dear sweet Emma Swan.”

Regina felt her rage boiling up and running over.  She grabbed a mirror and smashed it against her cell’s bars, hoping that at least one shard would strike the woman.  “You keep your hands off my wife, you bitch!” erupted low from Regina’s throat, “I _will_ end you!”  The vein on her forehead was now clearly visible.  If she were able to use her magic, the whole room would have exploded by now.  Just the thought of someone else touching and kissing Emma made her jealousy ignite with the same intensity of an atomic bomb.  It had been well known that Regina could be quite territorial over the blonde, but Emma had never minded it, actually stating before that it was one of Regina’s cute qualities.

* * *

The King held her body up with one hand against a tree, her head ducked down.  She was breathing heavily because she could not believe what had just been revealed to her.  Her stomach churned and bile burned the back of throat.  She should have been thrilled that her wife was out there somewhere alive, but if her Regina had seen what had become of Emma, she would be crushed and extremely disappointed.  So many regrets began hitting the King all at once and she couldn’t handle it.  Magic lit up in both of her hands unintentionally as she began punching the tree repeatedly.  The force with which her fists impacted the tree caused bark and splinters of wood to explode all around her.  Emma let out a guttural and uncontrollable scream as one last punch plowed through the tree, sending it toppling to the ground with a loud crash.  The leather gloves covering her hands had been torn away from her knuckles, revealing each one to be bloody and busted all the way down to the bone.  She believed her missing heart would keep her from feeling this pain, but it only dulled it temporarily and kept her from feeling love.

When the King gathered herself and began marching over, Regina bent her body over an unconscious Emma, holding the woman protectively.  “You need to go find her,” she muttered, trying to calm her quivering lips. 

“You’re going to help me,” the King growled as she knelt before Regina to get on the same level.  She placed a hand on her younger self’s arm and sent healing energy into her body.

Regina threw her head up to face the King with wide eyes.  “What?” she gasped.  Fear entered her body yet again when the dark version of Emma gave the Queen a grim smile before all three of them were engulfed in a crimson cloud of smoke.  Regina ducked her head down and held an arm over her face ready to defend herself and Emma if need be.  When the cloud vanished, Regina’s Emma was no longer in her arms and they were no longer in the woods.  The brunette looked at her surroundings in a panic to see they had been transported to a large and lavish bedroom.  She looked up to see the Evil King still standing before her, arms crossed.  Regina pushed her fear back and scowled while standing up.  “Where is she?” she demanded to know. 

The blonde ruler stepped toward the raven-haired woman and stroked her cheek with the back of her hand, knuckles now healed.  “Don’t worry,” she spoke as comfortingly as possible, “She’s in a safe place.”  She leaned in close to Regina’s face, tracing those red lips with her thumb, stopping at her scar.  “You have never looked more beautiful,” she whispered seductively.

Regina’s breath hitched in her throat.  She didn’t normally feel this uncomfortable within Emma’s presence, but this was different.  This was not her Emma, not her Savior.  Her mouth went dry when the King leaned in and attempted to kiss her.  Regina quickly turned her head to the side in order to avoid the blonde’s lips. 

Anger and lust invaded the King’s senses when she was rejected.  Harshly grabbing Regina’s jaw, she forced the woman’s cringing face back towards her own before crashing their lips together. 

A whimper escaped Regina’s throat as she struggled against the kiss.  Normally, these kisses would fill her with joy, but this made her feel full of guilt.  Regina tried desperately to shove this Emma away, but she was held tightly in the woman’s clutch.

Emma broke the kiss and stared with anger at the woman who refused her affection.  “You should want this!” she spat, shoving her onto the bed, “Why do you reject me?!”

Regina gasped as her back hit the black silky comforter of the bed.  “Because it’s wrong!” she snapped back, “You’re…wrong!”

The blonde came down on top of Regina, pinning her to the mattress, glaring with her one eye.  “Why?  It’s not like you’re cheating.  She and I have the same body.  There is nothing different between her and me, except an eye and maybe a few scars,” the dark Emma explained, planting kisses on the side of Regina’s neck.  She pushed one calloused hand up the brunette’s shirt and began groping her breast with a roughness.  “You know you want this,” she whispered into her Queen’s ear.

Every muscle in Regina’s body tensed when the King’s lips touched her flesh.  She couldn’t believe what was happening at the moment.  Emma really had become a monster in more ways than one.  Regina knew she had to stop this or else the way she viewed the love of her life would be permanently scarred.  When that hand grasped her right breast, Regina balled her fist up filling it with a red-colored energy before slamming it into Emma’s abdomen.

The King went flying across the room and into her wooden wardrobe, smashing it into pieces.  “You’re sick!” Regina yelled as she sat up, hot tears spilling from her eyes.  “What is wrong with you?!”  There was only one other time she had ever felt so violated and disgusted, but at that point, she was practically still a girl with no power and forced to marry a king.  Regina wanted to vomit, but all she could do was cry.

Emma pulled her body from the mangled ruin of the wardrobe.  A long piece of bloodied wood was sticking out from her upper right arm.  “I’m sorry,” she apologized with a guilt ridden face, “I just wanted to be able to feel love again.”  The King walked over to her desk and opened the box that contained her bright glowing heart.  “But it seems I never will be able to...”

“Why don’t you just put it back?” Regina questioned with a sniff as she tried to dry her tears.

“Don’t you think I’ve tried?!” Emma snapped back, “Who really wants to feel this completely empty for so long?!”  She slammed the box shut with fury.  “I can’t even crush the damn thing and free myself from this oblivion!”

Regina averted her gaze, still feeling extremely uncomfortable and scared at the moment.  She didn’t know what to say.  She couldn’t think of anything that would ease the King’s pain or solve everyone’s problems.  Regina just wanted her Savior back, and she wanted to go back home.  She had seen enough of this Hell in order to know what to look out for and stop it from happening.  “I-If you let us go,” the Queen began, “And let us go back to the past, we will change it…I will change it.”

The King chuckled as if the woman on her bed was just not getting the inside joke.  She shook her head and stared hard at the floor.  “No…not until you help me find my wife,” she said, “And if Robin was lying and she really is dead, then I will make it so neither you or your so called _Savior_ make it to the future.”


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! I’m so sorry I haven’t updated in a while. I have had hella writer’s block on this story, and because of that, I went off and started some other projects because I didn’t want any other ideas to go to waste while I try to figure this one out. I figured that what I needed would come to me when it needed to. Also, my fiancé and I just moved out of our apartment and we’ve been trying to find another place to live. So, needless to say, things have been quite hectic! 
> 
> I’m just going to go ahead and let you all know that this story is likely more than half way over, but I am unsure exactly how many chapters there are left. Well, I think that’s all for now. I hope you all enjoy this next chapter!

The mirrors showed her the horrors of the Evil King every day for nearly two decades now.  Regina did not think it could get any worse than Emma killing her own brother or Robin Hood, but she was in for a rude awakening.  Her younger self was within the clutches of this woman she no longer knew, attempting unspeakable things.  It didn’t help that these actions were being seared into her memories as well.  If she could ever get back to Emma, how would she forgive her?  Would she even try to? 

 _She doesn’t love you anymore_ , a familiar voice spoke, but it did not come from her captor.  That woman had left about an hour ago, claiming something about it was the perfect moment to exact her revenge.  No, this voice came from within the back of her mind.  _Emma can’t love you anymore.  She doesn’t have the capacity._   Regina closed her eyes and tried to focus on the forcing the thoughts away.  _What?  You think your True Love for her can save the both of you?  She’s past that point, Regina!  Emma tried to defile you just as Leopold did!_

“Shut up!” Regina shouted, holding her head.  She was losing this internal battle.  “Emma just needs her heart back,” she tried reasoning with herself.

_Oh honey, remember when Miss Swan first came to town?  Remember how she was trying to steal Henry from you?  Look at what she allowed him to become!  She controlled him against his will with that dagger!  If she had been there for him when this all happened instead of fulfilling her own selfish needs, he would not have killed Rumpelstiltskin!  Now look at your Little Prince, Regina.  Look at the monster he became because of Emma Swan._

“I’m shutting you out now,” she whispered, pulling her knees to her chest, rocking back and forth.

_You can’t do that, dear.  I am you.  We are the same, and we always will be.  Think of all the heartbreak you’ve suffered because of Emma Swan.  She came into our lives and broke our glorious curse.  Maybe we could have had our happy ending had she not interfered with the past._

“That would have been with Robin,” Regina scoffed in disgust, “I’ve never loved him.  I only love Emma and the family we have together.”

_A family that she tore apart!  She automatically assumed you were actually dead!  You, Regina Mills, of all people!  Emma never came looking for you!  And when she can’t find you now, she’s going to destroy every good thing you’ve ever had.  You’re just going to sit by idly and let that happen?_

“What can I do?” Regina asked herself, “I’m shackled here with no magic to get out.”

_What kind of weak insolent fool have you become?!  Break the damn shackles!  Take back what belongs to you before Emma Swan destroys us all!  You just saw the lack of respect she has for you!  She obviously hates you!  She will never love you ever again!  Her heart will never return to her body!  Are you really about to let her rule over what is rightfully yours?!  Regina, you’ve lost everything because of her.  What do you have left to lose?_

The culmination of every nightmare over the past twenty years, the heartbreak, and the voice within her mind finally became too much.  Regina snapped.  Her Dark Magic, fueled by her internal rage, had been withheld for far too long.  Her nostrils flared and her eyebrows drew closer as her jaw jutted out slightly.  Dark chocolate eyes illuminated a bright purple just before her magic exploded around her causing the shackles around her wrists, which were scarred from years of trying to escape, to shatter into tiny pieces.  Finally, she was free, and it felt so gratifying.  With a wave of the hands, purple smoke engulfed Regina’s body.

From the plume stepped out the Evil Queen in all her glory.  A dark maroon corseted dress covered her body.  The sleeves ran down to her elbows before a black lace like material sprouted out, draping over her forearms.  The neck of the dress was low cut, revealing plenty of cleavage, and embellished with many bright and dark colored gems.  A matching necklace sat atop her collar bones.  Black feathers made up a tall collar behind the Queen’s neck.  Regina’s hair was done up and looked very regal.  Dark and bold purple eyeliner pointed at the edges of her dark eyes.  Red lipstick made the scar above her top lip more defined. 

“Ah, now that’s better,” the Queen spoke with all the confidence in the world as she stared into a mirror, grinning ear to ear before using her magic to vanish, free from her prison.

Afterwards, the woman who had been holding the Queen trapped appeared holding a smooth black stone in her hand.  She gazed at the vacant spot that Regina had been standing in.  Holding the rock close to her lips, she spoke with a smirk, “Good girl.”

* * *

Even though it sidetracked them from their mission to storm the King’s castle, the group of heroes set aside time to mourn their losses.  Avalon held Roland’s hand tightly as they buried people dear to the both.  Those from the past kept out of sight in order to be respectful.  They knew they would be called upon when it was time.

Mary Margaret was probably the one who took it the hardest.  David felt the misery just as much, but stood tall for Snow’s sake.  When she heard the news and saw Neal’s body, Snow had crashed to her knees screaming at the top of her lungs while her husband tried his best to comfort her.  For lack of better words, Snow and Charming had now lost both of their children.  They had both stood in silence with blank stares at Neal and Robin’s services, both devoid of all emotion.  They had no more tears to shed.  Only one thing was certain from this point on.  The Evil King had to be stopped. 

Since two of their main players were out of the game, Emma and Regina, they could no longer charge through with their small group.  Every citizen of the broken town would need to rally together in order to defeat the King.  What no one knew, however, was that the King was not who they should be concerned with the most.

After the services, an armada marched stoically down a broken and torn down Storybrooke, led by Avalon and her older brother.  The crowd was armed to the teeth with just about every known weapon to man that could be wielded with two hands, ranging in a variety from medieval swords to modern day firearms.  When the curse caused the two worlds to collide, so did too the methods of warfare. 

 The looming shade of gray that coated the sky made Storybrooke look like a ghost town, not to say it wasn’t.  Granny’s Diner was one of the last structures to have burned to the ground.  She and Ruby did not let it go down without a fight, though.  It took several weeks, but eventually, their supplies dwindled down. 

* * *

_“You would protect that coward?!” the blonde sheriff shouted from outside the diner.  As the whistle of an arrow being released from a crossbow ripped through the air, it struck its target with ease.  Emma stumbled back, gazing down at the arrow that stuck out just above the center of her breasts.  Her eyes were red-rimmed and sunken in a bit.  Emma gripped the arrow before looking back up and jerking it out with wide eyes and a clenched jaw._

_Granny and Ruby stood outside the entrance of the diner, the elder with a hardened expression on her face.  Ruby looked worried, but still ready to take on someone who used to be friend.  “Emma!  You know we would never do something like that!  We’re your friends!” the wolf pleaded._

_“What the hell have you turned into?” Granny snarled._

_“You would!” Emma snapped, chunking the bloodied arrow to the ground.  The small wound healed up with haste.  “Everyone in this town has always had it out for the Queen!”  A large fireball began to form in the blonde’s palm while both her eyes lit up a crimson red._

_“Swan!” a male voice shouted out from behind, which allowed for the flames in the blonde’s hand to die down.  His feet thudded hard with the pavement as he sprinted towards the confrontation.  “Emma, you don’t want to do this!” Hook panted, holding his one hand out, “Once you go to this place, you can almost never come back from it!”_

_“I bet that’s what you thought about Regina, too!” Emma fired back at him._

_“You know that’s not true!” Killian argued back, “I’ve been down that road!  Some of us come back, but not everyone does!”_

_Emma’s features looked like they changed into an angry wild animal as she stepped into the pirate’s face.  “You were jealous of her, you bastard!  How do I not know you fucking helped him?!”_

_“What?!” he answered with a shock expression, “I tried to help you find him, Emma!  No, I didn’t like letting you go, but I did, and that was years ago!  Besides, how do we even know Robin Hood actually killed Regina?”_

_The blonde’s face changed quickly to display disbelief.  “How could you even question that?”_

_“Because he proclaimed to love her at one point in time,” Killian explained, searching Emma’s eyes for anything of the woman he used to know._

_The blonde ignored his last statement and glanced towards Ruby and Granny, not noticing the small boy hiding behind the younger woman, terrified and bewildered.  “You’ve all had it out for Regina since day one,” she spoke with a threatening tone, “None of you could just let it go!”_

_“Not everyone, Emma,” Hook interjected, reaching out to touch her shoulder, “And even if that were true, there’s only one person who’s at fault for that!”_

_“SHUT UP!” Emma screamed as her hand came up almost involuntarily, twisting her wrist._

_Hook’s head followed the motion of the woman’s hand.  A small gag escaped his lips before there was a sickening pop heard as the man’s cervical spine was dislocated.  His body went limp and collided with the pavement shortly after, the metal hook clanking against the ground._

_The wail of a child screaming, “DADDY!” sniped through the air causing Emma to take a step back.  Even without her heart, she felt a twinge of guilt for killing the man she once considered a friend in front of his own child.  Thatch, so small and innocent, rushed forward to Killian’s lifeless body even though his mother tried to hold him back. He placed his tiny hands on the chest of Hook’s leather jacket.  Tears poured from the boy’s eyes as he peered up at Emma.  “You’re a monster,” he choked out through a sob._

_Emma’s lips tightened together while she forced her conscience into the back of her mind.  As her promise to Regina lay broken forever, the blonde used her magic to change her attire to something that suited this so called monster she was willing to accept that she had become.  The Evil King had been born._

_With the new silver armor weighing heavy on her body, Emma knelt down to the boy and gave a sickening smile to him.  “You’re right, kid,” she whispered with venom in her voice, frightening him even more, “Lucky for you, I don’t kill children…”  The King rose back up and before she disappeared, Emma finished with, “Lucky for me, you’ll grow up.”_

* * *

Almost every building that hadn’t been destroyed in the Evil King’s wrath years ago had been abandoned aside from the occasional mythical beast.  However, for the most part, the rubble of the small town had become the training grounds for the King’s soldiers.  Some of these soldiers had been everyday normal citizens of Storybrooke, whose only flaw had been that they were fit for duty.  If they could hold a sword and walk on two legs, their hearts were taken, and from that point on, they belonged to King Emma.  Fortunately, today, all the King’s men were nowhere to be found within Storybrooke.

“So,” Killian chimed in towards Ruby with a smug look, “I take it that you and I became…intertwined.”

A smirk quickly masked Ruby’s features as she gave a small snicker.  “Not quite how you think,” she answered.  The pirate only scrunched his face up with a confused look.  “If you’re asking whether or not we had a relationship, the answer is no,” Ruby continued.

Hook was completely baffled by the admission.  He would have stopped dead in his tracks if it weren’t for the fact he would be smacked into by someone marching behind him.  “But the boy,” he began, motioning towards Thatch.

“I guess you’ve always been this egotistical,” Ruby mentioned, “Yes, he is your child, but just because you have a child with someone doesn’t always mean you’re in a commitment relationship with that person.  You should know that better than anyone, Hook.  I believe you allowed a woman to run off and leave her husband and son alone.”

“Can we let that go, already?  I would never do that to a woman myself,” he defended himself.

“Oh for the love of-…It was a one night stand!” the former waitress exclaimed, drawing a few odd looks.  Ruby rolled her eyes.  “We were drunk and things got outta hand.” 

“Oh,” Hook let out with a bit of realization and a little hint of disappointment.  “Well, then why did he seem so upset when he saw me if you and I were not together?”

“It’s not like I kept him away from his father,” she explained, “They shared a strong bond with one another.  Thatch understands how things were and he didn’t care because he loves the both of us and that’s all that matters to him.”

“I see,” Hook answered, having nothing else to say as his hopes had been dashed.  However, the revelation made him wonder if Ruby had ended up with someone long term or if the wolf was still alone.  Surely, a woman with her looks had not remained single for long.

Up ahead, Avalon was walking side by side with Roland.  The man glanced over to her from time to time with his dark, almost black, eyes.  She would occasionally look back, giving him a knowing look as if they were reading one another’s minds.  Even through the suffering they had both just experienced, Roland still managed to pass Ava a smile that was just big enough to show off his dimples.  He brushed a dark curly lock away from his brow before Thatch strode up to the other side of the woman. 

“Here we go,” Ruby mumbled beneath her breath.  She knew exactly what was about to happen between the trio of their descendants.  It was the same fight they’d been having for years.

“So, Ava,” Thatch began, his accent heavy on his tongue, “I’m sure you’ve got a great plan as usual to get into the castle.”  The younger male wolf was always one to try and flatter Avalon.

Completely oblivious as she had always been since Roland and Thatch started going at each other’s necks, Ava simply replied, “Thatch, you know Roland comes up with most of the strategy in Neal’s…absence.”  Her words faltered because uttering her uncle’s name weighed heavily on Avalon’s heart.  “Except this time, your mom has actually discovered a secret path into the castle.”

Thatch merely scoffed at the idea of Roland being held up on a pedestal by the woman both men were quite infatuated with.  He had had just about enough it.  “Why do you always give that asshole all the credit, Ava?” he snapped, earning an offended look from the both of them.  “You never give yourself enough.  You’re our leader.  We listen to you, not him!”

“What is this really about, Thatch?” Roland jumped in to defend himself against such accusations.

Ava’s eyes grew wide with confusion.  “What?”

“You’re the one who brought us all together, Avalon,” Thatch explained, “If not for you, none of us would be on this road towards victory.  Stop being so modest and stop letting jackass, Locksley here, take all your glory.”  He was good at buttering people up, regardless if his jealousy was seething through.  Thatch had both his parents to thank for that.

“Oh come off it, Jones!” Roland shouted back, “You and I both know what this is about!  Why don’t you go find a woman closer to your own age?  Hell, Adrian is right there.”

“Excuse me?” Ava gasped.  She had clearly inherited the same exact expression Emma made whenever she was shocked or surprised.  Avalon had apparently also received the same amount of denseness from her blonde mother’s side.

Both men ignoring the woman between them, Thatch exclaimed in horror, “Ew, that’s disgusting!  Adrian is practically my sister!”

Listening to the childish exchange, Gold cocked a brow at the last remark.  How could the son of Ruby and Hook ever possibly be related to him?  It was not possible, not by blood anyways.  He wondered what Belle’s situation had become after his death.  Rather than jumping to conclusions, Rumpel listened on curiously.

“Ugh, don’t get me involved in your hormone driven arguments,” Adrian groaned before slowing down her pace enough to come beside Ruby.  “My step-brother tends to drive me insane sometimes,” she mumbled to the woman.

The older wolf let out a small chuckle and gave Adrian a soft smile before putting an arm around her shoulders.  “That’s what family is supposed to do, honey, blood or not.”

Both Hook and Gold watched the exchange and instantly knew what was going on.  Red and Belle must have put their own twist on Beauty and the Beast.

“Hormones?” Ava asked before the realization struck her like a ton of bricks.  She came to a halt, causing everyone else to stop as well.  She looked between her two male friends in disbelief and anger.  “Neal is dead!  DEAD!” she almost screamed.  That’s when Regina’s side came out in the woman.  “And all you two babbling idiots can do is argue about who is going to get in my pants first?!”  Ava eyed them both with metaphorical daggers.  “This situation is bigger than all of us!  The world is _literally_ on our shoulders and if we don’t do something about it, everything we know and love will all be gone in a matter of a few years!”  At this point, the offspring of the Savior and Evil Queen was spitting at them like a cobra.  “Buck up, or get the _hell_ out of my way!  I don’t have time for childish games!”

Both men gulped in fear, looking incredibly guilty and hanging their heads in shame.  They both spoke a quiet apology before the crowd moved on.  Their differences would have to wait until later.

* * *

The leather on her back seemed to have stiffened up causing the same material on her arms to be tighter than usual.  Emma groaned as she came to noticing she was lying on a dirty cold floor made of stone.  Once her vision was no longer blurry, she took in her surroundings and realized she was in what appeared to be a dungeon.  Her memory of the last few events came flooding into her mind.  She had jumped in front of Regina to protect her from a fireball.  No wonder her red jacket felt like it was two sizes smaller.  The blonde’s back had been healed, but her muscles were sore from lying on the hard floor for a few hours.  Emma grimaced while she forced the ruined jacket off her torso.

Panic began to rush through her veins when she noticed that Regina was nowhere to be found.  Emma frantically pushed herself up and clung to the dungeon cell bars with both hands, searching for any sign of her love.  “Regina?!” she called out with worry.  There was no answer, only the echoes of her own voice down the halls.   That agonizing feeling of being completely alone began invading her senses.

Emma gulped before steadying herself.  She wasn’t going to give up without a fight, not after everything Regina had shown her.  Plus, Emma damn sure wasn’t about to give up on the woman she loved.  As she began concentrating on everything the Queen had shown her, Emma began to glow white.  She focused her energy into her hand and shot it out at the cell door.  Unfortunately, her magic had only caused sparks to ignite from the metal bars.  The blonde cursed at herself and growled before becoming angry.  She hurled blast after blast in an attempted to free herself, but to no avail. 

“Damnit,” Emma whimpered while dropping to two knees.  She felt pitiful and completely useless, which in turn made her feel like she had not deserved someone like Regina, who was a powerful and strong woman in her eyes.  Right now, Emma wished that Regina had taught her what she deemed, ‘The poofy trick.’

As if Emma had summoned a genie to come save the day with three wishes, a plume of purple smoke appeared before her very eyes.  Her green eyes lit up with excitement and relief when she saw the familiar hue.  There was also always a recognizable and enjoyable scent of the purple magic.  It sort of reminded Emma of lavender.

The only thing was the person who remained when the smoke dissipated was not at all who Emma was expecting.  The woman’s face was the same, maybe a little older.  Her hair was certainly different, and so was her make up.  While Emma thought this woman’s attire could be quite arousing, especially the cleavage showing, a certain kind of fear struck her.

“R-Regina?”


	19. Chapter 19

_It had only been a little over a week since they brought the baby home from the hospital.  Avalon had been pretty good about sleeping throughout the night so far.  This was not one of those nights, though.  The baby had awoken both Emma and Regina several times now, and just when they finally dozed off again, a loud wail over the baby monitor shook the two mothers from their slumber._  
  
_Regina let out a groan, but silently thanked the heavens she would be on maternity leave for a few weeks.  The mayor sat up and began pushing the bed sheets aside when a soft hand grasped her arm.  She glanced over to see Emma shaking her head with a weary sleepless face._  
  
_"It's alright, babe," the blonde whispered softly as she sat up, throwing her legs over the side of the bed.  "I'll go take care of it."_  
  
_"Are you sure?" Regina questioned with a worried expression._  
  
_Emma gave a small nod and smiled before getting to her feet.  "Yeah, I got this," she replied before walking out of their bedroom._  
  
_It had been the both of them going to check on the baby for most of the night, but Regina was happy to have a break.  She collapsed back into the large bed and closed her eyes, assuming sleep would find her quickly.  However, the empty space next to her made that quite impossible.  Regina had grown so accustomed to being held by Emma at night that sleep would not permit without her embrace._  
  
_Regina noticed the crying had stopped more quickly than she had anticipated.  Sooner than it would have taken Emma to get there._  
  
_Emma stepped into the nursery and was surprised to see her son carefully cradling his baby sister in his arms.  Apparently she and Regina were not the only ones awoken by Avalon._  
  
_"Henry," she whispered, catching the teenager's attention._  
  
_He turned to look at his blonde mother, gently rocking the baby back to sleep.  "Hey, Ma," he whispered back._  
  
_"Did you-" Emma started, but was cut off._  
  
_"Wash my hands?" Henry finished the obvious question.  "Yes, I did.  It's ok, Ma.  You worry too much."_  
  
_It was true.  Even with her fake memories of having kept Henry, this was still all new to Emma, and she had become all paranoid and overprotective of baby Ava._  
  
_Scoffing at the statement, Emma rolled her eyes and asked, "Did you check her diaper?"_  
  
_"Yeah," he answered with a nod, "I think she just wants to be held.  She stopped crying as soon as I picked her up."_  
  
_The blonde smiled and walked over to Henry, holding her hands out.  "It's ok, kid," she said softly, accepting the small bundle into her arms, "I've got it from here.  You should get back in bed.  You've got school in a few hours."_  
  
_After handing his sister over to Emma, Henry exited the room to go back to his own.  Holding Avalon as carefully as possible, worried like hell that she might actually break the baby, Emma gently settled into a rocking chair and began rocking gently while humming a soft lullaby._  
  
_Hearing the quiet conversation between her son and her soon-to-be wife, Regina had pulled herself from bed.  She had tip-toed as silently as possible to the nursery, slowly opening the door just enough to peek inside.  A wide smile spread across her lips as she watched her overprotective lover coo the child they created back to sleep.  Regina tilted her head, resting it on the door frame.  These were the moments she lived for, watching Emma Swan become an entirely different person around their baby.  Regina thought it was the most adorable thing in the world._  
  
_Before Emma could completely doze off with Avalon held protectively in her arms, Regina slipped her arms around the baby.  She shushed her now startled fiancé softly so as to not reawaken the baby._  
  
_"It's time to go back to bed now, love," Regina whispered as she turned to the crib, lowering Ava down.  The smile was still plastered over the mayor's face._  
  
_She placed a hand-knitted purple blanket over the sleeping baby.  Granny had managed to teach Ruby how to knit and so that was the first thing the wolf had successfully made.  She even embroidered the child's name on it.  The baby blanket was graciously accepted by the Queen and Savior during their baby shower.  Emma even teared up a bit because it reminded her of her own baby blanket._  
  
_Both mothers gazed down in awe at the small bundle of joy that was created by their absolute love for one another.  Even though the pregnancy hormones had worn off, Regina's eyes still filled with tears of pure happiness.  Never in a million years did the once Evil Queen believe she would ever get a happy ending of any sort.  Yet, here it was.  Regina had Emma, Henry, and now Avalon; this beautiful and magnificent family.  She hadn't just gotten her happy ending.  Regina Mills, soon-to-be Swan-Mills, had her perfect ending, and she couldn't even begin to think of asking for anything more.  This was enough...more than enough._  
  
_A strong pale arm wrapped around the mayor's waist.  Emma tilted her head, resting her temple gently on top of Regina's.  The brunette leaned into the blonde's body, basking in her warmth.  Emma inhaled Regina's scent, not thinking her smile could get any bigger, but it did.  All that little blonde orphan girl wanted all those years ago was a family and a place to call home.  It had been Emma's one and only wish.  She had always told herself that it was impossible.  Every day, she thanked whatever higher power out there that Henry somehow managed to find her because if not for that little boy believing that she was the Savior, Emma Swan would have never met her parents.  She never would have met Regina Mills.  Finding that the mayor would end up being the love of her life was certainly a surprise, but a very pleasant one.  Emma hadn't believed that this kind of love, the kind she and Regina shared, had existed.  Yes, there was True Love, and it existed in all different forms.  However, what she and Regina had for one another could not simply be described as True Love.  It went beyond that.  There were no words to explain it.  Emma simply knew that she would do everything within her power to protect her family and ensure they were happy even if it meant giving her own life.  This was more than what the Savior could have wished for as a sad orphaned child, but she could not be happier with the outcome._  
  
_"She's beautiful," Emma whispered, stroking Avalon's face with the back of her index finger._  
  
_"She's perfect," Regina choked out as quietly as possible, trying so hard to hold back her tears.  She brought one of her knuckles in between her teeth._  
  
_Emma quickly wrapped both arms around her love, holding her tightly.  "Oh baby," she asked worriedly, "What's wrong?"_  
  
_"Nothing's wrong," Regina sobbed quietly into the blonde's neck.  Thankfully, Emma pulled them both out of the nursery and down the hall a bit so that Regina could release whatever she was holding back._  
  
_The blonde held the mayor's face in both her hands, stroking away the tears with her thumbs.  "Talk to me?" she asked with a gentle as ever tone.  Green eyes searched teary brown ones._  
  
_"Everything's prefect," Regina sniffed, composing herself a bit.  "And it scares me."_  
  
_"What?" Emma asked in disbelief.  "Why?"_  
  
_"I'm just waiting for the ball to drop," the brunette replied, crossing her arms over her chest.  "I'm just..."_  
  
_"Waiting for the next fight," Emma finished the other woman's sentence._  
  
_"What?" Regina blinked, cocking a brow.  Those words had been exactly what she was searching for._  
  
_"There's more to life than just looking or waiting for the next fight, Regina," the blonde reiterated the words her father told her once.  "You've gotta live for the moments.  That's what life is about.  Good moments, bad moments...they're all worth living.  You just have to focus on the good moments.  And those seem to be in abundance lately."_  
  
_Regina sighed, drying her tears up completely, giving the woman a nod.  "You're right," she said softly before wrapping her arms around Emma's neck.  The Savior returned with her arms going around the brunette's waist.  They pressed their lips together in a soft and warm kiss._  
  
_"I love you, Regina," Emma said softly, peering into those chocolate eyes._  
  
_"I love you, too," Regina whispered back as she just smiled at the love she could not do without._

* * *

Emma had seen the Evil Queen in person only once before and the woman still created a flurry of emotions within her gut.  She felt awe, lust, and intimidation mixed all into one, which sent her heart racing.  Emma swallowed thickly after gasping the Queen’s name, still gazing up to the regal figure from her position on ground.  Once she managed to pry her eyes off the low cut portion of the dress, Emma noticed the scarring on the woman’s hands.  When she realized this was not the same Regina she had thrown herself in front of earlier, the blonde quickly scrambled to her feet.

Regina had just stood there while the Savior took in her appearance, her own dark eyes grazing over Emma’s body.  To see Emma in this form, untarnished from her demise…well, it was like a breath of fresh air for the Queen.  Her heels clicked against the stone floor once and then twice as she closed in on the younger woman.  Regina placed both hands on either side of the blonde’s face, ignoring the hitch in Emma’s breath.  She knew Emma could see the sadness in her eyes as they glazed over because she gave her that same worried expression she had grown to know over the years.  It was that same expression Emma gave her that day when Regina was ready to die to stop Storybrooke’s destruction. 

The Queen couldn’t differentiate between her feelings at the moment.  This was the first time she had touched Emma’s flesh, inhaled her scent, or stared into those beautiful green eyes in twenty years.  Of course she knew this was a different person and that her Emma was elsewhere, but this was the woman she had fallen madly in love with.  The Evil King was neither Emma nor Savior, but rather an empty shell of a person, and while Regina could relate to that, she did not know if she could ever love that person again.  Love…that was something she had not felt in a long time, and because she desperately needed for this terrible nightmare to end, she pulled at Emma, closing the gap between them.  The feeling of Emma’s lips coming into contact with her own was like magic itself.  Regina had almost forgotten how that felt and she could not have been more pleased when Emma didn’t push her away.  Yet, the blonde didn’t exactly return the gesture, but the Queen could understand why.  Emma had always been completely faithful to her.  However, her biggest disappointment was the fact that the kiss was not working.  Regina knew that sharing a kiss with the King would produce nothing since she could not feel love.  However, the past version of the King was very much in love with Regina, so surely a True Love’s kiss would break this curse, right?  Wrong.

When they broke apart, Emma inhaled deeply as her eyes opened wide, still in shock.  “You really are alive,” she whispered, feeling the Queen’s breath on her lips since they were still in a very close proximity to one another. 

“Unfortunately,” the Queen admitted sadly. 

“Where the hell have you been?” Emma questioned, anger and betrayal filling her voice.  She hadn’t a clue as to just what the woman in front of her had been through.  Her mind had just jumped to conclusions because Avalon had never really told her about the state of their union in the future.  For all Emma knew, their marriage could have been going downhill and Regina could have concocted some scheme to run off with Robin Hood.  That thought alone had jealousy coating over Emma. 

Regina’s sad expression quickly turned to one of anger.  “Imprisoned and tortured by watching the love of my life slowly decay into nothing,” she replied bluntly.

“What?” Emma exhaled, taking a step back before glancing elsewhere, feeling a bit of guilt.  “I-I’m sorry…I shouldn’t have-“

“It’s alright,” Regina replied with a sigh as she rolled her eyes, “I forget how easy it was for you to jump to the worst case scenario with me at first.”

“So, what happened to you?”

“Your ex-girlfriend,” Regina answered, crossing her arms as she eyed Emma.

Emma didn’t think she could get further surprised, but this topped the cake.  “Shit,” she cursed beneath her breath.  It was Lily all along, of course.  She broke a promise to the girl when they were teens and probably shattered her heart by her selfish actions.  “She did this to you for revenge against me?”

The Queen shook her head.  “Not just that.  Lily somehow set up Avalon to bring you, specifically, here.”

“Why?”

“The King would never love her, not without her heart.  She couldn’t even love me at this point,” Regina said with a hurt tone.  “What she did to the King and I was merely for revenge and just for the fun of it.  Lily’s main goal is to rip you away and keep you here for herself.”

“Wait, wait,” Emma interjected, holding her hands up and closing her eyes, trying to make sense of something.  “How in the hell did she take you hostage?  She’s from this world.  Lily never had magic.”

“I don’t know!  It’s not like the crazy bitch gave me her life story,” Regina answered, sounding a bit annoyed because she was trying to get to the point so they could hurry up and get out from this dungeon.  “All I know is her magic feels a lot like yours, except darker.”

The blonde paced back and forth, rubbing her forehead, trying to remember any clue from her past with Lily that would have indicated she had magic.  Something suddenly clicked and Emma stopped in her tracks, snapping her head towards the Queen.  “Regina, is it possible that I had magic within me even before I came to Storybrooke?” she asked desperately.

The brunette cocked a brow and shrugged her shoulders.  “I don’t see where you’re going with this, Savior, but yes.  You’re the product of True Love, so why not?  How should I know?  Why does that even matter?”

“Remember that taser Tamara had and the machine Greg had that affected magical beings?”

“Don’t remind me,” Regina groaned out.  She definitely remembered being strapped down and tortured, but she immediately snapped out of those memories when she realized what Emma was getting at.  Her chocolate eyes widened as she breathed, “The night you left Lily…when you were attacked.”

The blonde gave an adamant nod.  “We were holding each other when it happened.  Could I have transferred some of my magic to her?”

“I hate to say it, but yes.”

“Fuck,” Emma cursed, punching the wall.  She closed her eyes and breathed through her nose as her jaw clenched.  When she opened her eyes, she turned to the Queen with a dark expression on her face.  “Can you get me out of here?”

“No, I just came here to tell you a story and then leave,” Regina replied sarcastically with the ‘Seriously?’ look.  “Why else would I come here?”

“Ok, then.  Tell me why you’re dressed like that.”

“I had to become the Evil Queen to escape the magic-blocking shackles Lily had me in,” she said softly, looking to the floor in despair.  “This is what she wanted.”

“Regina,” Emma whispered, stepping towards her, placing a hand on her arm.  “No matter what, you’re not evil.  You’re not a villain.  I mean, you came to save me, right?”

The Queen looked up to the Savior and gave her a small smile.  “Thank you, Miss Swan.  Now, I believe you have your own Queen to save.”

“Right.  Do you know where she is?”

Regina was about to answer when a loud crash was heard from outside the castle.  It was accompanied by the entire structure rumbling and shaking causing dust to fall from the ceiling of the dungeon.   

* * *

"How can I find her?" the King asked in a stern tone. 

  
"Have you ever thought about a simple locator spell?" Regina quipped, rolling her eyes.   
  
"I didn't think I would ever need to because she was dead!" the blonde shouted in annoyance. "Besides, she never really taught me that...and Henry has defected."  
  
At the mention of her son, Regina stood from the bed and glared at the King.  "I wonder why!  Look at what you've done!"  
  
Emma spun on a heel and stomped to Regina, fury written all across her face.  "Everyone in this fucking town could have cared less that you died!  No one would even help me find the bastard who did it!  You left me all alone again!  So, yeah, I lost my mind!  What else was I supposed to do?!"  
  
"You were supposed to go on!" Regina snapped back, no longer fearing this evil before her.  "You were not alone!  You had a family!  You had _our_ family...the one you were supposed to protect and look after."  Tears were becoming evident within her eyes, but only for a brief moment before her face hardened again.  "No, instead you fell back into your old ways.  Typical Emma Swan, fleeing from everything, including her responsibilities, when everything gets hard."  
  
"STOP!" Emma roared, slamming her foot down creating a small crater in the marble floor with her magic.  
  
"Now you're going to throw a tantrum like a small child?"  
  
"Just help me find her!" Emma growled, grabbing Regina's collar roughly.   
  
The brunette grabbed Emma's wrist, digging her nails into her flesh.  "I don't take orders from anyone, especially you," she snapped, glaring, "But if you want my help, you take me to Emma first."  
  
Releasing her grasp on the fabric of the woman’s blouse, Emma stepped back.  "Fine," she sighed out in defeat, "Then we'll have to go to her vault to find something of hers."  Emma walked to a desk and picked up a dark wooden box.  A faint white glow pulsed through the seams of the box as she sauntered back to Regina.

“Is that what I think it is?” Regina asked, her eyes widening slightly.

The King nodded with affirmation.  “Maybe she can put it back where it belongs,” Emma replied sadly.  She took a hold of Regina’s arm, this time her grip not as strong, a smoky crimson magic engulfing them, transferring them to the dungeon.

When they reappeared outside the Savior’s holding cell is when the entire castle shook with a rage as if it might collapse.  However, the King’s ears were suddenly deaf and she ignored the sudden commotion outside.  Her one eye widened and the box slipped from her grasp, shattering upon impact with the floor.  The glowing and pulsing white heart bounced around harshly, which should have caused the King pain.  Even though it did, King Emma could not feel it for all of her surroundings were drowned out by the sight of her Queen.


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, everyone, sorry again for such a long wait on an update. Like I said before, I’m working on multiple things at a time now. Good thing is, this story is getting close to being finished. I want to say thank you to everyone who has supported me through this story. I don’t know where I would have been in this story without you guys. And a huge thanks to all my readers and reviewers. Thank you guys so much for the kind words and comments! Hope everyone enjoys!

A familiar sense of dread flooded her veins when the King saw the Queen before her.  Her one eye widened as the blonde forgot how to breathe.  Part of Emma had not believed or refused to believe Robin’s confession.  That was probably because the guilt due to her path of destruction would have eaten her alive as it was doing right now at this moment.  As sad as it was to think, it would have actually been easier if Regina were actually dead.  The King closed her eye and shook her head.  How could she even think of that?  Then again, without her heart, it was easy to imagine things like that.

Regina took in the appearance of her older self, noticing a small streak of gray hair in the side of the woman’s pulled up hair.  It had always been hard to picture herself growing old and getting gray, but now it was staring Regina dead in the face.  That was about the only thing that appeared older about the Queen, though.  Not even the slight crow’s feet in her eyes had managed to grow.  _What the hell is wrong with me_? Regina thought.  _Now is not the time to be vain_.  The Evil Queen, someone she vowed never to become again, was standing right in front of her.  _How did this happen_?  _What happened to me…her_?  After the shock wore off, which didn’t take long, Regina immediately ran to her Emma and clung to her hard.  “Are you alright?!” she asked, worriedly.

Emma caught the woman she loved with expecting and strong arms.  Closing her eyes and burying her nose into Regina’s dark hair, she held the former Mayor protectively.  Emma pulled away slightly and looked into glazed over brown eyes.  “I’m fine,” she answered with a smirk as she pushed some strands of Regina’s hair behind her ear.  Emma squared her shoulders and puffed her chest out a bit before proudly saying, “I’m the Savior, remember?  It’ll take more than that to take me down.”

Scoffing, Regina rolled her eyes at the blonde’s cockiness and placed a hand on her chest, giving her a gentle shove.  “Yes, dear, and I should know it by now from the many times I’ve tried it,” Regina snipped back.  Placing a hand on her hip, she pointed a finger at the sheriff in the same manner she would do with Henry sometimes.  “I warned you earlier not to ever scare me like that again.  Now, you shall pay dearly for your insolence.”

“Looking forward to it, Your Majesty,” Emma replied, her grin growing bigger.

“You’re really alive,” the King finally exhaled, breaking the silence between her and her Queen.

Emma took Regina’s hand and pulled them both a step back from the impending fight that she was sure was going to happen.  “This isn’t gonna be pretty.”

“What are you talking about?” Regina queried, furrowing her brows in a confused manner.  She realized Emma was expecting the worse, but why?  She herself had been so happy to be back with her Emma even though they had only been separated for a short time.  These two had been apart for what might as well have been an eternity, so why would there be an altercation?

“I’m pretty sure your future self knows everything my future self has done,” Emma whispered the not-so-secret secret to Regina.

As if on cue, the Queen held out a hand with a snarl and the King’s feet left the ground instantly.  A low growl escaped the older Regina’s throat as she squeezed down on the older blonde’s throat with her magic.  “How could you?!” the Queen asked, shouting in a threatening tone.

King Emma did not try to fight back with her hands.  For one, she knew it would be useless.  Secondly, she couldn’t imagine using a magical attack on the woman she once loved.  All she had to fight back with was words.  “Regina, please,” Emma forced out while trying to breathe, “I thought you were dead.”

“And that gives you the right to do everything you’ve done?!”

“Regina, I’m sorry,” the King gasped.  Her current state was uncomfortable, but Emma knew she wouldn’t die since she had already tried and it failed.  Suddenly, her body flew into the wall behind her before she crashed to the floor.  Emma held herself up on all fours, rubbing her neck as she gulped hard.  She got to her feet and looked towards her wife with a more gentle expression.

“Sorry isn’t going to fix what you’ve done, now is it?” the Queen stated in a softer tone, “Why?  Why did you do it?”

King Emma bowed her head in shame.  Only being able to feel hatred was starting to weigh heavily on her, especially now that her Regina was back.  Now, Emma wanted to be able to feel love again.  She wanted to be able to love her wife, but it was gone only to be replaced by her guilt.  “I was broken,” Emma explained as she peered back up to Regina, “I didn’t want to feel my sorrow anymore.  I made a rash decision—many actually—without thinking of the consequences.  Regina, I thought you were gone forever.  What the hell happened?  Where were you all this time?”

Before the Queen could answer, another loud crash and explosion was heard outside of the castle.  Everyone looked around, wondering how long the walls would hold up.  It was the second loud commotion they heard outside in the few moments they had been there.  “To make a long story short, your ex-girlfriend, Lily, has it out for both of us,” the Queen uttered, causing the King’s eyes to nearly bulge out of her head.  “Right now, it seems like we have bigger things to worry about.”

The King growled in anger and her eye briefly flashed red as her face twisted in a scowl.  “I’ll kill her,” Emma grumbled out before stepping towards a window, “Avalon must have finally arrived with her armada.”  She glanced out to see what was causing the disturbance, but saw no signs of an army attacking her fortress, which caused the King to arch a brow in confusion.  The thought of her daughter made her quickly turn to the Evil Queen.  “Regina…Ava will want to see you.  We should go to her.”

“Yes!” the younger blonde interjected, “She’s on the war path right now, but if she actually sees that you’re alive, maybe we can stop all of this and fix it.”

King Emma snorted and let out a small evil-like chuckle.  “You’re still so naïve.  You still think like Snow White.  Don’t you see?  Everything is beyond fixing.  I’ve killed hundreds, maybe thousands.  I brought the world to its knees.  The only possible way you could fix things now is with my death.”

The mention of death had the Queen quickly clicking her heels to the King.  Her hand cupped Emma’s cheek, stroking the large scar with her thumb.  “Don’t say that,” she whispered with a trembling voice, “If I could do it, then so can you.  Please don’t give up.”

“I already have,” the King answered as she gently grabbed Regina’s wrist, removing her hand, “There’s a difference.  You had your heart.  I can’t even put mine back.  The Savior wasn’t made to do the things I have done.  I can’t feel love or compassion.  It’s too late for me, Regina.  I don’t even feel the same way I did about you.”

Those last few words stung the Queen’s heart hard.  “B-but…we had True Love…Emma, you promised me.”

The King balled her fists up and clenched her teeth together before she snapped.  “I know what I promised!  I was an idiot back then!  Don’t you understand?!  There is no such thing as True Love!”  Emma turned away because she didn’t want to see the hurt her words would cause.  Of course, she didn’t mean it, but she didn’t trust herself not to physically hurt those around her that she used to love, especially Regina.  She’d already tried on multiple occasions to kill their daughter.  She had controlled Henry with the dagger.  Emma had tried to kill both her parents.  Plus, she even murdered her own little brother and Robin Hood.  “Now…leave this place.  Avalon has not seen you in two decades.  She has grown into a respectable adult.  She will be overjoyed to see you.”

“I can’t,” the Queen stuttered between tears, “Lily thinks she has control over me, and for now, I have to make her believe that.  I just came here to warn you of who the real enemy is.  Emma, she’s going to kill you and take the past you for herself.”

“She can try to kill me, but not even I can do that,” Emma answered, “Just go.  I’ll take care of her…”

“Then I’m staying here with you,” the older Regina stated, “She thinks I came here to kill you anyways.”  She turned to their younger selves.  “You two need to go and warn the others.”

* * *

_It hadn’t been more than an hour since Regina had returned home from a visit with Dr. Whale.  Surviving yet another wave of nausea, the now re-instated mayor placed her hands on the kitchen counter, dipping her head down with a sigh.  Within her mind, Regina tried to figure out exactly how she was to run a town while also carrying a child within her womb.  Ruling over the citizens of Storybrooke, she had down pat, and Henry was enough proof that she could raise a child while doing so.  However, being pregnant was a whole new experience and while she was still in the early stages not to show, the life growing inside was already taking its toll on Regina physically.  Worry filled her heart of the coming months, though the tough woman would never show it outwardly._

_A knock on the door drew Regina away from her thoughts as she stood up straight, rubbing her temples in annoyance.  She raked her fingers through her dark hair to straighten it a bit before her heels clicked down the foyer stairs to open the door.  All signs of annoyances vanished when she was greeted with the sight of Emma Swan, who was wearing her typical skin tight jeans and red leather jacket._

_“Emma,” Regina spoke softly with an arched brow, wondering why exactly the woman in question would feel the need to knock rather than just letting herself in._

_“Hey,” Emma exhaled as if her breath had been lost.  That’s because the sight of the mayor before her did take her breath away.  It had been for the past few days and Emma couldn’t figure it out.  Of course Emma had always found her new girlfriend incredibly irresistible, but something had been different about her lately.  It was like there was some invisible force causing her to be extra attracted to Regina, if that were even possible.  Even now, Emma was speechless; forgetting just what she had come over for or even what she was going to say._

_Regina tilted her head forward as if waiting for an explanation, but when she realized the sheriff was completely dumbfounded, she pushed the door back and stood to the side.  “Come in, Miss Swan,” she ordered._

_Accepting the offer, Emma glided past Regina while scrunching up her nose, questioning the use of her generic nickname, “We’re back to that already?  What have I done to piss you off already?”_

_Ignoring the question, Regina shut the door behind her and followed her girlfriend up the foyer.  When the question hadn’t been answered, Emma turned to face her and place a hand on her arm.  Regina’s attempts to push her worries into the back of her mind had failed when it came to Emma.  The Savior saw right through her._

_“Hey, what’s wrong?” Emma inquired in almost a whisper, worry evident in her eyes.  Over the few years of being enemies, she had learned how to read Regina and see through her many masks._

_Regina tried to appear taken aback and replied with a quick, “Nothing.”_

_“Liar.”_

_That damned superpower was quite irritating at times.  Regina brushed a strand of hair from her face as she let out a heavy sigh.  Then she took one of Emma’s hands into her own and looked straight into her green eyes with a serious expression.  “We need to talk.”_

_Those were the four words no one ever wanted to hear from their significant other.  Emma gulped and felt a pit form in her stomach.  Her mind immediately began to jump to the worst case scenario.  “Regina, what did I do?  Whatever I did, I’m sorry.”_

_“What?” Regina asked, “What are you talking about?”  She was apparently not well-versed in relationships and what those words could do a person.  Then she saw the brokenness flash in Emma’s eyes and realized what had been running through the blonde’s mind.  Regina’s eyes widened and she shook her head, one hand coming up to cup Emma’s cheek.  “No, no, you didn’t do anything,” she quickly explained, except she paused for a moment to consider her words.  “Well, maybe you did, or maybe I did, but…”  She closed her eyes and took in a breath before continuing, “Can we please just…go sit down and talk?”_

_Emma gave a slight nod, a knot of nerves still tight in the bottom of her stomach.  Regina gently pulled her to the study with the fireplace, the same place they shared apple cider on the night they first met each other.  Taking a seat on one of the sofas, Emma looked to the mayor expectantly before asking, “Are we gonna need a drink for this?”_

_“I do not believe so,” Regina answered as she slid into the spot next to the blonde, still clinging to her hand, “Besides, I cannot drink.”_

_“Why not?”_

_“Well…Emma, there’s something I need to tell you.”_

* * *

After exiting the dungeon, Regina and Emma quickly found themselves on the defensive with four guards at the end of the hallway.  “You there!” one guard shouted towards them to catch their attention, “Just what do you think you’re doing?!”

“You mean she didn’t tell her guys she freed us?” Emma queried to no particular person, but herself.  She glanced over her shoulder to Regina, knowing she would have some sort of input.

“Really, Miss Swan?” Regina quipped with an eye roll.

“What?”

“She didn’t exactly have time to tell anyone anything,” the brunette shot back, “Besides, she’s about to let her so-called ‘kingdom’ fall.  The King isn’t going to be throwing around orders to _anyone_.”

The blonde’s forehead creased with the look of offence and confusion as to how Regina could come up with such a conclusion.  “Oh, and you know me so well after the short amount of time we’ve been together?” Emma argued back, ignoring the guards that were closing in.

“Excuse me?”

“You sure are quick to make the assumption that the King, who is me, is willing to give up on everything.”

“Well, the mounting evidence of her actions so far should be enough proof, would you not agree?” Regina said matter-of-factly, her frustration rising, “And for your information, Miss Swan, that is not what I meant.  I have been in the King’s position before, or have you already let that slip your mind?  She knows she is about to be defeated.  The only thing she has left to do is to attempt a Hail-Mary.  My only concern is what that will be.”

“What was it for you?”

“The curse.”

“Oh, right.”

“Now, if you are done trying to instigate an argument, can we take these guards down?” Regina pointed out. 

Thankfully, the hallway was a long one, but by now, the guards were on top of them.  Emma glanced ahead with a surprised expression before quickly looking back to Regina.  They both shared a nod before they each held one hand out and magically knocked the guards out of their way with ease.  The two women exchanged triumphant smirks before running onwards to escape the castle. 

The whole structure continued to shake, and Emma could only wonder just how big of an army her future daughter had managed to gather. 

* * *

Finally, they had made the clearing to which the castle could be seen.  Avalon let out a victorious sigh and in the first time in hours allowed herself to smile.  She knew they were getting close to ending this nightmare.  She could feel it in her bones.  Her triumphant feeling was washed away when a ball of light shot up from ahead of her group.  It hit the top of the dome of the castle’s barrier shield causing the spell to fizzle out completely.  Ava narrowed her eyes to get a better look at the area the ball of light had come from.  Suddenly, explosions began erupting from all sides of the massive castle.  Something was not right.  None of the scouts sent out had been ordered to make their way through the secret entrance. 

“Well, looks like we can go in the front door,” Hook chimed in.

“I wouldn’t recommend it,” Henry replied blandly with crossed arms.

“Hm, right,” Robin joined in, “It could be a trap.”

Gold shook his head and finally stepped up to offer his input.  “You people really don’t get it, do you?”

Everyone turned to the imp with sudden accusing expressions.  “What’s that supposed to mean?” the younger David inquired, “Did you have something to do with this?”

“If I did, don’t you think I would be alive to see all of this, dearie?” Rumpel replied with a sneer, “No.  The Regina of this timeline has been alive all this time.  Only her apparent loss caused the Savior to fall into darkness.  Therefore, she became the _villain_ that everyone focused on.  Meanwhile, whoever actually kidnapped Regina is the real enemy and they have been using the Evil King as a diversion for their own scheme.  Oh, how awfully familiar this sounds.” 

Henry’s animal eyes lit up with realization as he remembered something.  He looked to his sister and said, “Ava, whoever took Mom intends to force you to kill the King.”

Ava’s brow furrowed with wonder as she cocked her head to the side.  “What are you talking about?  And how do you know that?”

“I-I’m not sure,” Henry stuttered, “I don’t know how I know.  I just kinda do.  I guess it comes with being the Dark One.”

“It seems like the gift of foresight stayed with the dagger,” Gold injected, “You just don’t know how to use it properly.”

“That doesn’t matter,” Ava said, verbally swatting Gold away, “How can she force me to kill the King?  I mean, I know I said I would kill her, but that was in the heat of the moment.  Plus, I don’t even know how she can be killed.  She’s tried to crush her own heart and so have others, but none have been able to.”

“But you can,” was Henry’s response.

“How?” However, Avalon quickly shook her head, pinching her brow.  “No, no, I don’t want to know.  I don’t want to kill her.”  She turned on a heel and walked forward toward the castle, but did not realize her people weren’t following her. 

“You’re still so sure she can change her ways, Ava?” her older brother questioned, standing firmly in place.

Ava spun back around and stared in shock as she saw no one proceeding with her.  “How can you say that, Henry?!”

“I’ve seen what she’s done!  I’ve seen the things she’s made me do!”

“And we both know about the things that Mom has done, but you forgave her and loved her anyways!”

“Mom had her reasons, I see that now.  Ma has already done way worse than the Evil Queen.”

“The King had her reasons, too!  Of course I’m mad as hell at her for killing Neal, and yes, it will take a long time to forgive her, but I can only imagine what she went through when she believed Mom was dead!”  Tears welled up in Avalon’s eyes as she peered at the rest of her people.  “What’s wrong with you people?!  You managed to give the Evil Queen a second chance!  The King used to be your Savior!”  Thinking about not having either one of her parents caused the tears to fall.  “I know she’s done terrible things…but think about who she used to be before this.  Think of all the things she did for all of you before this.  Like Gold said, she’s not the real enemy here.  Right now, I think she needs all the support she can get from us.  We cannot let her down right now.  There is still good in her, I know it.”  She looked back to her older brother and gave him a glare that was very Regina-esque.  “ _We_ cannot let our moms down.”

Snow, who had been standing back and listening to their leader, took a step forward with a soft smile.  She would have made the speech herself if she had not been so confident that her granddaughter could manage on her own.  A single tear streaked down her cheek.  Snow placed two hands on Avalon’s shoulders and gave her a defiant nod.  “I am _so_ proud of you, sweetie,” she uttered, “You made the right decision.  You have it in you after all.  I had started to doubt, but…that’s exactly what Emma would have said.”  The older Charming smiled with narrowed eyes, but a proud smirk.

“I have what in me?” Avalon questioned with confusion, blinking back her tears as her grandmother pulled her into a tight hug.

“You’ll see,” Snow replied as she pulled back, “But first…”  She held a fist up as she turned to the army they had gathered.  “I am with Avalon!  Those of you who are not, please disband immediately and stay out of our way!”

“The same goes for me!” Charming affirmed before limping to the other side of his granddaughter.

The people whispered amongst themselves as to what to do.  Surely if Snow White and Prince Charming endorsed her, she had the correct intentions, right?

“I shall always stand by your side, Ava,” Roland added as he joined them.

“As will I,” Thatch supplemented in a cocky tone.

Not one person disbanded and once everyone was in agreement, the army moved forward, ready to save the King and to fight an unknown enemy.

“What do I have in me, Grandma?” Avalon reiterated.

“A very special heart.”


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to thank my amazing wife for always helping out with all of my writing and always being my loyal beta. I also would like to thank one of my really great friends, who just so happens to have the same name as one of the main characters in this story (and yes, it's a complete coincidence because we didn't even know each other until I had already posted at least 10 chapters of this thing). She has been there for me through all my writer's block and she even helped me get out of a really bad bout of it a while back. Also, to each and every one of you who have read and left reviews, thank you so much for your support! All of you have been so great and I'm so lucky to have readers like you! I hope you all enjoy this chapter!

Becoming lost on several occasions while trying to escape the King's castle, Emma and Regina finally saw the large doors that would exit outside. Regina assumed there would be heavily guarded gate outside waiting on them. The former mayor was tiring quickly, but couldn't for the life of her figure out why. Her blonde counterpart still had plenty of stamina left to levitate and throw guards around with her magic, but Regina still had years of experience mounted against Emma. Regina panted as if she were midway through a marathon. She would have to wrap her mind around it later because now a horde of guards were rushing them.

Emma had noticed her lover's endurance was quickly running down. She took a step in front of her Queen and held a sword out she had retrieved from a downed guard earlier. "I got this!" she affirmed over her shoulder to Regina, "Go figure out how to open that door!"

"But Emma!" Regina pleaded with worry.

"I'll be fine, Regina!" Emma reassured before light lit up in her free hand. Her head whipped back to glance at Regina again. "Now go!"

Regina scowled, not used to taking orders from the sheriff. She huffed before waving her hands to allow herself to be enveloped in a plume of purple smoke. Regina reappeared next to the door. Her hand flung out to blast the doors open, but the magical energy hit a barrier. Regina cursed under her breath before turning back to see Emma taking on at least ten guards, fighting them with both her sword and magic. In that moment, the blonde's movements seemed to resemble Charming's. There was no time for the brunette to gawk at the Savior's toned arms, so she quickly turned back to the door. She prayed to whatever higher power that was out there that bringing down this barrier spell wouldn't take long.

The Savior slashed her sword across one guard's chest before planting the bottom of her boot into his chest and shoving him back. That's when another man came up from behind and drug his own blade across her back. Emma grimaced as the blade slice through her flesh, effectively leaving a gaping hole in her white tank top. However, her adrenaline would not allow her to stumble forward. The blonde simply spun on a heel bringing a palm of magic to the guard's face causing his body to tumble back away from her. "You almost done?!" she called out to Regina while scuffling with another guard.

"Just a little longer!" Regina shouted back. She wanted desperately to look and see if Emma was alright, but she had to concentrate as much as possible.

"Good! 'Cause I'm losing this battle!"

"I thought you said you had it!"

"I did at first!" Emma replied as she smashed the hilt of her sword into the face of guard, bloodying his nose.

The door suddenly blew open and Regina dropped her hands, breathing heavily. "Emma! Now!"

A white aura engulfed Emma's body and surged out around her effectively knocking the remaining soldiers onto their backs. The blonde charged towards Regina and caught her around the waist before she hit her knees. "Regina, are you ok?!"

"I-I don't know," the brunette admitted, "It's as if my magic is depleting my energy more rapidly than it normally would."

Emma noticed that Regina's tan complexion was a bit paler. "You don't look so hot right now."

"Gee, thanks Miss Swan. That's exactly what a girl wants to hear."

The Savior huffed in frustration, "You know that's not what I meant." She placed one of Regina's arms around her shoulders and began pulling her towards the castle gates. Once, they were down the steps, Emma flicked her wrist to close the doors behind them, obviously trying to show off for the woman in her arms.

"I don't know, Emma, but we have more pressing issues than my physical state. We need to rendezvous with the others and inform them of what we know." For a moment, a wave of déjà vu washed over Regina. Emma was once again pulling her out of the flames, saving her, except this time, Regina's ankle wasn't sprained.

The two women were both relieved to find that the gate was not manned by any guards whatsoever. Emma released Regina, who was able to stand up on her own now, to go and pull a lever to open the gates. Unbeknownst to either of them, one of the guards inside the castle had managed to escape before the doors slammed shut. That's the moment, Regina's entire world came crashing and burning to the ground.

"You'd think I would keep up to date with the technology of our time and just have this thing open with the push of a button," Emma growled out as she pulled down on the lever. She was about to make another remark when it happened.

It all happened so fast and Regina felt immediately guilty for not being able to stop it. The blade of a longsword pierced straight through the Savior's back until her flesh touched the hilt. A small gasp escaped Emma's throat and she got a brief glance at the crimson coated metal protruding from her midsection before it was quickly removed. All of her surroundings moved in slow motion and all noise was drowned out by the moment. The only thing that reached her ears was the blood curdling scream of her name. Emma didn't even hear the loud snap of the guard's neck, which had been caused by Regina's magic. Emma's hands instinctively went to grasp for the fatal wound, but they never made it as the strength in her body faded rapidly as she collapsed onto the ground.

Knees hitting the ground next to the blonde, Regina placed a hand over the gaping wound, the Savior's blood soaking her palm. She placed her other hand on Emma's cheek and she could not control the tears that began spilling from her eyes. "NO! No, no, no!" Regina cried out. It was happening again, just like it always did with those she loved. "Please, no!" she sobbed as she tried to muster up every bit of Light Magic she had, concentrating on it to flow into her hand over the wound. It wasn't enough to heal the woman she had fallen so in love with. She cursed whatever it was that had her so drained to the point she could not even save the love of her life. The nightmare Regina had in the cave was coming to pass.

"Hey," Emma half rasped and half gurgled out as blood began to coat the back of her throat, "It's ok..."

"No, it will never be ok," Regina choked out, pressing her forehead to the blonde's.

"I can't...destroy everything now," the blonde sputtered, finding it harder and harder to breathe.

"Emma, please...I love you...I can't do this again..."

"I have...always loved you...Regina Mills."

* * *

"I think it's high time we got everything out in the open," the Queen spoke, breaking the thick silence that had fallen over herself and the King once their younger counterparts had left.

Emma crossed her arms and glanced towards her wife with a quick nod. "What exactly happened?"

"Well, apparently, your jealous ex had been putting this plan together for years before she had set it into motion. With her patience, you'd think she had Rumpelstiltskin as a tutor. She sought you out and somehow found her way to Storybrooke."

"How did she manage to get across the town line?"

"That still remains a mystery, but I'm assuming it had something to with the magic you transferred onto her. She killed Marian," Regina explained with a saddened sigh, "I haven't the slightest clue as to why she thought that would be a good idea, but I guess even after a being married to the Savior for nearly a decade, people still figure that the Evil Queen can fall back into old routines within a moment's notice."

"I'm guessing Robin never actually thought you killed his wife and Lily was controlling him?" When Emma was given a nod she exhaled, thinking about how fucked up the situation was. "I never could wrap my head around why he would think that, especially since you and I were married and had another child together."

"Were?" Regina asked, appearing to be a bit taken back by the use of past tense language.

"Regina," Emma let out with a sigh, "You were dead, or so I thought. It's been two decades. I can't even feel for you. That's that."

Regina pushed away from the wall she was leaned up against. She knew she would get nowhere with that topic. "Alright, would you like to explain what happened with our son?"

"I..." Emma began, but trailed off for a moment, "I didn't know he was going to kill Gold...If I had, of course I would have stopped him..."

"So, the next reasonable thing was to imprison him with the dagger and control him?" Regina chastised.

"I didn't want him to end up like Gold," Emma defended, "I took the dagger to protect him..."

"And yet, you claim to not have a caring nor loving bone in your body?"

The King sighed and looked away, shaking her head while biting her lip. "It took a while for me to become like this. Even after I removed my heart...it wasn't just an overnight change. At first, I was doing it to protect him...That was when I could still feel compassion...and slowly, but surely, he became a tool...a weapon."

"And that just makes everything alright, doesn't it?" Regina enunciated with a small sarcastic chuckle. "So, what's your excuse for trying to have your way with the younger me?"

Emma exhaled heavily before pushing away from the wall, stomping towards the exit of the dungeon, but she was promptly stopped when Regina reached out with her magic. A faint blue glow emanated from the blonde's body and she growled in frustration when her limbs refused to move. "Look, I don't claim to have an excuse for every wrong decision I've made! I know what I did and I'll live with the consequences, but I won't stand here and have you or anyone else throw it in my face!"

The Queen appeared shocked and offended as she rounded in front of Emma and landed a hard smack to her face. "How dare you?! You tried to force yourself onto her, onto me!" Regina practically screamed, her voice turned hoarse as tears clouded her vision. "No, you know what? When Lily has been dealt with and everyone goes back to the past...when this is over, we are over."

"What?" Emma gasped. For the first time in years, the King felt her blood run cold. She had almost forgotten what fear felt like. The enchantment over her body vanished and she was able to move freely again.

"You heard me the first time, _Miss Swan_ ," Regina muttered, "You've broken your last promise. You destroyed our family, and now I'm going to take them back."

The words were like a sword impaling her through her abdomen, and as soon as the thought swept through her mind, Emma dropped to both knees. She placed both hands over her armor-covered abs, grunting and groaning in real physical pain. If she could describe the sensation, Emma would say it felt like molten lava expanding from her midsection to the rest of her body. Emma made an attempt to fill her lung with air, but the pain was too much and prevented her from getting a full breath.

The whole scene caught Regina off guard and she was starting to regret her words. Dropping down next to Emma, she placed a hand on the back of the King's armor plating. To her complete horror, Emma's body was very slowly becoming transparent. "What's happening?!"

Her blonde locks fell over her face while she pressed her forehead against the floor. Now both arms encompassed her abdomen as her body doubled over on itself. Emma's mouth watered due to the immense amount of pain she was in, some drops of her saliva escaping her lips as she croaked out, "The Savior is about...to die."

Regina was reeled back by the bit of information. Her mouth opened and shut as she tried to figure out what to say. Grasping the King with both hands, the Queen's face looked determined. "Then we have to help them." She was about to magic them away, but one of Emma's hands weakly wrapped around one of her arms, catching her attention.

"No," the blonde whispered, shaking her head slowly.

"But, Emma-"

"Let her...let us die..."

"Why would I do that?!"

"To save everyone," Emma panted in a reply, "Lily will have no purpose...and then I cannot ruin everyone's lives..."

"But maybe they can still go back and change things!" Regina tried to reason, holding back tears. She could hardly believe the words coming out of Emma's mouth. This Evil King was someone who was not supposed to have compassion nor remorse, but at the moment, all Regina could hear was Emma...her sweet, kind, and protective Emma. It was the woman she married and raised two children with, the woman who was willing to sacrifice everything for her family, be it the Charmings or the Mills side. Then the thought of their daughter struck her and Regina's eyes widened to their capacity. "No, Emma, we have to help them! What about Avalon?!"

* * *

" _And then the big ogre came down like this!" Emma said dramatically as she slammed her hands down on either side of her five year old daughter. Avalon laid on her back, feigning horror all the while trying to conceal her fit of giggles. "And he was all like 'ARGH!'" Emma continued to reenact the tale. The imitation of the ogre's roar fished a high pitched squeal, followed by another adorable giggle from the small dark-haired child. "And it was almost over with, until..." The blonde made a small whistle while pretending to poke herself in the eye and fall backwards. "Until your grandma shot him in the eye with an arrow, and down he went!" Emma grumbled, pretending to be a dying ogre._

_Ava seemed completely enthralled with the story as she sat up on her knees, leaning forward with her eyes slightly widened, expecting more. "And then what happened?" she asked with about as much cuteness as a tiny curious kitten._

" _Dinner's ready," Regina called out from the kitchen._

_Emma breathed a small sigh of relief. It was her job to keep their small bundle of infinite energy occupied and entertained by any means necessary to give Regina the time to cook dinner. Ava was practically joined at the hip with Regina at any other point. Not by any means did the sheriff not enjoy spending time playing with the child that she and Regina created. It's just that their daughter was so energetic at times that Emma couldn't keep up. Avalon certainly kept both of her mothers on their toes and sometimes even Henry when he came home from college to visit. Emma chuckled and gave Ava a wide smile before replying, "And then Momma learned that guns don't work against ogres." She snatched up the small child as she rose to her feet. "Now, let's go eat before Mommy comes in here with an ogre attitude," she said before carrying the kid into the dining room where Regina was placing food onto the plates on the table._

" _I heard that," Regina said in an accusatory tone._

_Emma smirked as she sat Ava into a chair with a booster seat. She walked around to her seat opposite from her daughter, stopping momentarily to give Regina a light peck on the lips before taking her seat. Avalon scrunched up her nose in disgust and groaned out, "Ewww! Kisses are gross!"_

_Regina faked a shocked expression before gasping, "Is that so? Then why is it that you enjoy my kisses at bedtime so much?"_

" _I dunno what you're talkin' 'bout, Mommy," Ava spouted out in her high pitched childlike voice._

" _Regina!" Emma exhaled, "You're giving my kisses away?" The blonde pretended to be heartbroken. "How could you?"_

" _Perhaps Ava gives better kisses than you," Regina quipped with a smirk._

_Emma's eyes widened and she held a hand over her mouth. "I can't believe you would say such a thing."_

_Ava pointed at her blonde mother and laughed before declaring, "I get all Mommy's kisses. None for you!"_

" _You guys are meanie heads!" Emma pouted, crossing her arms over her chest while poking out her bottom lip._

" _Alright you two," Regina chastised softly with a smile, "It's time to eat."_

* * *

"Ava...sh-she's fine...I-I can sense her," Emma stuttered as she writhed in pain, "J-just...let me go, Regina...let this end...please."

Regina remain silent for a moment, contemplating what to do next. If Avalon was not in danger of being wiped from existence, then that meant only one thing was for certain. The brunette quickly shook her head, wiping away any consideration that was forming in her mind of letting Emma die. Yes, it would protect her from two decades of pain by watching the former Savior destroy their family, but Regina would not have traded those ten good years with Emma for anything. Regardless of all the evil the King had committed and her empty threats to leave the blonde, she still loved Emma with every bit of her heart and soul. Regina tightened her grip on the blonde and angrily yelled, "Emma Swan, I swear you're the biggest idiot I know!" The Queen paused for a moment to take in a breath. "But you're my idiot and I refuse to let you die." They were both engulfed in Regina's magical smoke, disappearing into thin air.


End file.
